One Sacred Wish
by Elizabeth Vasser
Summary: Kagome Higurashi arrives at Shikon no Tama University with no regrets and no real desires until she meets Inuyasha, a half demon with a foul attitude. Is their meeting fated for the best or the worst? Getting through to the hanyou is a task in itself.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Kagome Higurashi arrives at Shikon no Tama University with no expectations and no regrets, but things take a turn for the worst when Inuyasha enters her life. Or is it best?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other characters from the franchise/series/manga/anime. It is amazing and I WISH I owned it, but sadly, I'm only writing about it. I claim nothing other than my own, uh, sort of kinda but a little ripped plot line. Lol, so, on with it.**

Chapter one

"_I remember the first time I saw him as clear as I see the sky right now. The weather was clear, the wind was blowing ever so gently, and the petals from rose blossoms were filling the air with their fragrance and color. It really was a romantic sight, and one that I won't ever forget . . ." Kagome Higurashi_

I was walking quickly, perhaps too quickly, my books wrapped up protectively in my yellow backpack. My head was down and I wasn't looking at anyone or anything; the people at this university were all like hungry cats, and I was the little mouse they were waiting to pounce on. I was the poor, unfortunate soul, and they were the higher class aristocrats.

The wind was blowing gently, and my unruly black hair was being tugged at by the soft tendrils of wind. It wasn't that I wasn't grateful to have been accepted into this unversity; I was everything but ungrateful. I was so happy I could split my face in half from the size of my grin when I'd received the acceptance letter in the mail. It was just that I was intimidated by the size of Shikon no Tama University, for one, and by all the rich folk walking about.

Not to mention, there was more than your fair share of youkai.

Youkai were widely acknowledged and accepted nowadays. They had only been publicly revealed a few years ago, and it had been enough time for them to weasel their way into society as if they'd always belonged there. I didn't have a problem with the demons; they had every right to be here just as we did. But I wasn't exactly trusting of them yet. Demons had brought a lot of trouble to humans, and murder sometimes suspiciously reeked of youkai, though you could never frame any of them for it. They were far too coy, and more than less youkai had their good looks, and that was enough to convince our petty, shallow society of their innocence.

Today was my first day here, and I was just concentrated on getting to my first class in the academy without getting lost. I could still remember my mother's reaction when I'd gotten the acceptance letter in the mail.

"Oh Kagome! This is wonderful! Never, in a million years, did I imagine you'd be coming here . . . You're already nineteen years old and so grown up . . . Shikon no Tama is a private, expensive University, full of high status youkai, and to think that you're going there . . . It's like a dream come true. I still can't believe you won a full blown scholarship! But I shouldn't expect anything less from my special girl!" My mom continued to babble on happily. . .

It was true. I'd won a full scholarship to Shikon no Tama University for four years to get a degree in culinary arts. I wanted to be a famous chef one day, since I had a soft spot for food, cooking, and making people smile with my creations in the kitchen. It only seemed fitting.

I could hear the snickers as I made my way down the sidewalk, snickers from humans and youkai alike, because I was poor, unlike them, and my clothes were simple, not the latest trends in fashion. A hot blush filled my cheeks, and I ducked my head lower, scowling angrily as I quickened my pace until I was almost in a small jog.

I glanced up a set of concrete stairs, leading up to another sidewalk which led to _another _set of stairs leading up to the university, and started up them. About halfway up the stairs, however, I had to stop, because a group of giggling girls stood in my way.

"He's so handsome!" one of the girls, a brunette, whispered.

"I've heard he's a wild one in bed." A blond replied suggestively.

"And rich too. I've heard he's got an attitude though, but, I'd be willing to put up with it for those looks and the money." a third one with black hair cut in. They were all looking up to the sidewalk at the top of the stairs we were on. I followed their gazes, finding myself a bit curious. And that was when I froze.

I knew immediately who they were talking about. He was a youkai, and that much was obvious, even from the distance between us. I wasn't close enough to see his face clearly, but, I could see enough to believe their claims that he was extraordinarily handsome. His eyes were expressive and colored golden, and his skin was tanned with a golden tint to match. his hair, completely straight, was long, far past his shoulders, and pure, light silver, blowing gently behind him in the breeze. His eyebrows were dark and serious, and there were two adorable dog ears on top of his head, as white and silver as his hair. He wore a red muscle shirt, showing off his toned body, and simple black jeans. A black backpack was slung haphazardly over his shoulder, and he paid us no attention.

That was, until he noticed we were all gaping at him with expressions that suggested we might have possibly just met God. His eyes skipped over the other girls, uninterested, but when his eyes met mine, they locked with my own, and I felt my heart skip a beat. My cheeks flushed, but for another reason besides being laughed at. His gaze was intense, as if he were staring right through me, and my heart was pounding harder than ever before. It was the most intense experience I'd ever shared with a boy before. I couldn't look away from him.

But then, he broke the contact. He looked away from me with a haughty expression, but I noticed there was a slight blush tinting his cheeks, as he walked up the next flight of steps and disappeared into the university.

Judging from the intensified giggles of the girls, I guessed they'd witnessed my being snubbed by the youkai. I felt a rush of embarrassment and anger. Who did he think he was, snubbing me like that? The nerve. I stormed around the girls and up the remainder of steps, ignoring everyone else, and stormed up the next level of steps and into the university myself.

I found my first class without much difficulty, luckily, and slumped down into a seat in the back so I wouldn't be noticed by all the higher, richer people who were sure to be filing in at any moment. I pulled a notebook out of my backpack, and focused on scribbling on the page with my pen to distract myself.

"Excuse me."

I looked up, beholding a beautiful woman with soft brown eyes and dark brown hair up in a high ponytail. She was extremely curvaceous, dressed fashionably, and she had a kind expression. "Do you mind if I sit here?" she asked, gesturing to the seat beside me.

"Oh no, that's fine. Go right ahead." I obliged, moving my backpack out of the seat so she could sit down.

"I'm Sango." She stuck her hand out to me once she got settled in, and I took it, shaking it.

"I'm Kagome." I returned, smiling at her.

"It's just, I noticed all those people giving you a hard time, so I figured you could use a friend since you were by yourself. You seem more down to earth than all these snooty rich people." Sango explained.

I laughed. "Well, thanks. And it would be nice to have a friend."

"Well, you have one." Sango and I exchanged smiles. "So, Kagome, where do you come from?"

"Tokyo." I replied, a little embarrassed to speak of my poor background. "I earned a scholarship to this academy with my good grades. I wouldn't have been able to afford it otherwise." I tried to laugh it off nervously, but I had a feeling Sango could guess that it bothered me, being so poor, surrounded by rich people, for she responded.

"Well, you earned it. The other people here at this university didn't. They just bought their way in." She said seriously.

Now don't get me wrong. I wasn't ashamed of not being rich. I wasn't ashamed of my position in life, and I rather valued my independence, and liked the fact that I earned what I had and it wasn't all handed to me. But the rich people here had a way of making you feel less of yourself, and it was beginning to rub off on me already.

"I'm proud of myself for getting in here." I admitted. "I didn't think it was possible."

"Well, I'm glad you got in here. It's good to have someone to talk to that won't look down their nose at me." Sango replied.

"Aren't you rich?" I asked bluntly, but when I realized how rude it sounded, I blushed and started to open my mouth to apologize, but Sango laughed and waved it off.

"Well, I am, to a certain degree." She admitted. "But, I don't let it go to my head, and I certainly don't look down on the people who aren't."

"I'm glad. I don't think I'd have any friends here if you hadn't decided to come talk to me." I said honestly.

"Another thing to remember is that there are a lot of youkai here in this university, and they sort of have everyone wrapped around their fingers. Youkai are dangerous, and they've intimidated, killed, and stomped people down to stay where they are in authority here. So, I wouldn't go messing with them. You're smart, so I don't expect you will, but . . . I figure I should warn you anyway."

"I figured something like that would be going on here." I replied. "Youkai are supernatural beings with supernatural powers; it only figures they'd be in the position of power. They'll crush anyone who gets in their way and little human girls like me are no exception."

"You catch on fast, Kagome." Sango's eyebrows lifted, and I could tell she was surprised by my quick wit. I blushed with embarrassment.

"Something like that." I muttered, looking down at my paper.

Class started a little after that, and Sango and I passed notes the entire time. I was discovering that Sango was a lot like me, a fun lover and very smart, and very fun to be around. We giggled about all the rich, snobby girls in our class and the macho jock guys who tried to impress them when the teacher wasn't looking. By the time class was over I was in a wonderful mood, and I could see the beginnings of a strong friendship between Sango and me.

Unfortunately, Sango and I had to part ways after our first class, because my next class was on the opposite side of the university from hers. With promises to meet up later, we exchanged phone numbers and went our separate ways.

My next class, I didn't have such an easy time finding. I found myself wandering about the right wing of the building for a bit, and felt myself beginning to grow anxious, as I couldn't find my class anywhere. Everyone around me looked as if they belonged here, breezing to classes without even glancing at their schedules, and it only made me feel even more of an outcast.

Finally, I leaned against a nearby wall, lowering my head and sighing to myself. _Looks like I'm going to miss my neck class. _I thought glumly, about to give up.

"Forgive me Miss, but you look a little lost." a helpful voice said from my side.

"Eek!" I jumped because the voice was so close, and I hadn't even heard anyone approaching. The young man who had approached me raised his eyebrows at my outburst, and I took a moment to examine him. He was very handsome, with dark brown hair pulled into a short ponytail at the back of his neck. His warm blue, silvery eyes were filled with curiosity as he looked at me. He wasn't dressed extravagantly, but nicely, with a long sleeved blue shirt and blue jeans.

"Sorry for startling you." he flashed me a charming smile. "I'm Miroku." he lifted my hand and kissed it, and I blushed at the attention.

"Oh, well, nice to meet you Miroku. I'm Kagome. And, yeah, I think I'm a bit lost." I laughed nervously, sheepishly rubbing the back of my head.

"Well, I think I might be able to help you out. I'm going to guess you're a freshman. I'm a sophomore, so, I know my way around by now. So, may I see your schedule for a moment?" he held his hand out for it, and I handed it to him gratefully.

"Ah, well, that's no problem at all. Your class is at the end of this hallway to the left. I'll walk you down there, if you don't mind?" he offered, handing my schedule back to me.

"Oh, that would be wonderful. Thanks a lot." I said gratefully, as we started to my next class.

"So, Kagome, you have a pretty name for a pretty face. I heard a rumor you won a scholarship here for four years." Miroku said conversationally.

"Well, you heard right." I obliged. "I won a scholarship here, and, I wasn't about to turn down a scholarship to Shikon no Tama. A lot of my friends from high school would have killed to come here." I remembered my friends with a slightly sad expression, before I reminded myself I knew I was going to have to say goodbye when I moved here to the university campus. "What about you, Miroku?"

"Well, I, of course, didn't win a scholarship. I wasn't good enough at my studies for that." Miroku laughed. "And, being as fond of the ladies as I am, I didn't pay as much attention as I should have."

I smiled with him. "Well, I can see how the opposite sex can be distracting at times." I teased.

Miroku glanced at me, his expression suddenly serious. "Kagome, are you hitting on me?"

"Eh?" It was such a bizarre, random question, and I felt my cheeks flush with the blush that was becoming quite customary. "No no no! I just meant, that, I can see why you'd be distracted if you were paying attention to girls all the time."

We had reached my next class, and we stood outside the door, facing one another. Miroku looked into my eyes, and I was shocked when he took both of my hands in his, and said very seriously, "Kagome, I'm flattered at your obvious attraction to me. Would you do me the honor of bearing my child?"

My eye twitched. "What!"

"Oh, Miroku, come off it!"

I looked past Miroku's shoulder to see the silver haired boy from before, an indignant expression on his face. His voice was rough, but there was something sexy about his gruff voice. "You know she wasn't hitting on you. You just want an excuse to hit on her."

I sighed with relief when Miroku released my hands and grinned at the silver haired youkai. "Why, Inuyasha, have you taken an interest to Kagome here? I'd hate to put the moves on the female of your interest. That would be most awkward."

Inuyasha's ears twitched, and he bared his fangs. "You've gotta be kidding me. _Her_? Feh. As if. Just leave her alone. She doesn't seem the type to roll around in bed with ya." Inuyasha walked past us into the classroom with his nose in the air, and I felt a rush of indignation.

"What's wrong with me?" I demanded, but he didn't hear me, or ignored me. I looked at Miroku, and he shrank back at my furious expression. "The nerve of that guy . . ." I stomped into class without a further word to Miroku, and all the way to the back of the room. I made sure to stare Inuyasha down as I made my way past him, but he completely ignored me and looked out the window, arms crossed over his well defined chest.

The only thing I could do while class went on was glare daggers into the back of the silver haired youkai's head. He never once looked at me, but his ears would twitch occasionally, so I think he got the feeling that he was being watched. He grew increasingly twitchy as the class went on, from tapping his claws on the desk to shifting his legs in his chair to glaring moodily out the window, all because I was staring him down. I got a sort of glee from it, which made me wonder how in the world I could have possibly experienced such an intense moment with him before, on the steps.

When the professor dismissed us from class, I was completely shocked when Inuyasha stood up, nearly knocking his chair over in the process, and stalked up to me, getting right in my face. He towered over me by quite a bit, and I had to tilt my head back just to meet his eyes. I glared at him right back, though I was slightly intimidated by him. He was youkai, after all.

"What the hell is your problem?" he demanded. "You did nothing but stare at me that entire class. If ya got somethin' to say to me, say it to my face!"

Well, wasn't he straightforward? "I have nothing to say to you." I sniffed, turning my nose up at him and trying to brush past him.

"Then explained why your eyes were glued to the back of my head for an hour straight." he ordered, his tone clearly pissed off.

"As if I'd explain myself to you." I said haughtily, without even looking at him. Refusing to say another word to him, I left the classroom with my head held high. We had attracted a lot of attention, and many people were whispering amongst themselves after witnessing our heated exchange. Even the teacher was staring, but I ignored them all, and left the classroom as if I was above all of it.

I was surprised to find Miroku waiting for me outside the door. "Well, Kagome, how did your class go?" for some reason, despite his behavior before, I felt as if he didn't have a genuine interest in me romantically, and was simply a flirt. So I decided to let his earlier behavior go.

"It was fine." I grumbled, annoyed beyond belief.

"I take it Inuyasha is the source of your distress." Miroku observed, eyeing me critically. It was not a question, but rather a statement. "I overheard some of your conversation with him a moment ago . . ."

I flushed a little. "Yes, well, he's not worth the time explaining to. So, I'd prefer not to speak of that arrogant brat."

"Arrogant brat!"

I didn't have to look over my shoulder to know who the voice came from. "Yes, _Miroku_, that arrogant brat." I felt my temper boiling, and Miroku looked a bit uneasy, as if he didn't want to be involved in the scene that was about to unfold.

Inuyasha stormed to my other side. "Let me tell you something, you stupid, pathetic little wench! You're just-"

"Hi Kagome!" I looked ahead and saw Sango approaching, a smile on her pretty face, waving at me. I smiled back and waved, completely ignoring Inuyasha as I jogged up to greet her.

"Hi Sango. You're such a lifesaver, you have no idea." I muttered secretly to her, and she looked curiously at Miroku and Inuyasha, who were just now arriving to where we stood now. Inuyasha was still fuming, and Miroku was looking at Sango with a slightly stunned expression, as if he'd never seen a more beautiful woman.

"Why, hello there. Sango, that's your name? Even lovelier than Kagome. I'm Miroku." He stepped forward and took her hands in his. "Sango, would you do me the honor of bearing my-"

_Slap_! Sango's hand made sharp contact with Miroku's cheek. Me, Inuyasha, and a few other onlookers stared in amazement. "I'm well aware of who you are, Miroku. You're a lech. And no, I won't bear your child." Sango said very calmly, rubbing the hand she'd slapped him with delicately.

"Lovely _and _feisty." Miroku's voice was filled with wonder as he held a hand to his now red hand-imprinted cheek.

Sango ignored him, and hooked her arm through mine. "And Inuyasha." she nodded to the youkai. He just harrumphed.

"You know him?" I jerked my head irritably in Inuyasha's direction.

"Everyone knows him." Sango replied, surprised. "He's the most well known youkai on campus, besides Sesshomaru."

"Sessohamaru?" I questioned, curious.

"No one important." Inuyasha snapped. "I wasn't finished with you, human."

I ignored him. "Well, Sango, you and I should go to lunch together now. I've got a lot of things to discuss with you, anyway. I don't have time for arrogant, pig-headed, empty-brained youkai." With that, I turned my nose up and forcibly pulled Sango away from them. I could hear Inuyasha cursing after me to Miroku, who just shook his head at the entire ordeal.

"So are you going to tell me what that was all about?" Sango asked when we were a bit of a ways from the boys.

I sighed. "Miroku hit on me before my second class and Inuyasha pretty much said I wasn't worth hitting on by his standards. And I stared him down the entire class, because he had that class with me, and he confronted me in front of everyone after class, and now he's following me around trying to give me hell. And now we're up to the present."

"I'm surprised he's even bothering." Sango replied. "There's been a lot of girls like you that have voiced their opinions about him and he hasn't paid them a bit of mind. Sure, he's cussed at a few here and there, but he hasn't ever really given them the time of day."

_So what makes me different? _I thought. But before I could voice this out loud, Sango started talking again.

"But, _that's _something I didn't consider . . ." Sango murmured, her voice turning thoughtful.

"What is?"

"Well, Inuyasha is a junior. Before you came along, he had a girlfriend named Kikyo. And, well, she looked exactly like you, to be honest. I mean, _exactly. _You two are identical in the face. The only difference is that your hair is a bit more curly and your face is more expressive. Other than that, the resemblance is uncanny. And, well, a year or so ago . . . there was an accident." Sango said quietly.

I felt myself intrigued by what she was telling me. "An accident?" I questioned softly.

"Well, that's what most people say, but I don't think it was an accident at _all. _There were a lot of full blooded youkai in the university that didn't like Inuyasha's relationship with Kikyo because she was a human and he was youkai. Humans dating youkai is highly frowned upon here, but not completely forbidden. And I think that a lot of higher class youkai got pissed off about him dating Kikyo, and . . . I think they killed her."

My eyes widened. "Killed her? But . . . why would they go that far? How did she die?"

"They say that she fell out of her third story window and broke her neck, and that was how she died. But I was there, with Inuyasha. I saw fingerprints on her neck, and I think the authorities were corrupted to keep silent. She was murdered, and I know it." Sango's voice was solemn, and I felt myself horrified by the thought of someone being murdered like that, just for being human, for being with the one they loved without caring about their race. "They were jealous of Kikyo, I think. She was a kind, gentle spirit, and they couldn't stand seeing her completely happy with Inuyasha, and him with her. It's sickening."

Silently inside, I agreed with Kikyo. "That's horrible." I said quietly. "And . . . that's why you think that Inuyasha is giving me the time of day? Because I look like Kikyo?"

"That's exactly what I think." Sango replied. "I can't really think of another reason."

At my expression, I think Sango realized how that must have sounded, for she ducked her head sheepishly. "I don't mean that you're not a wonderful girl, Kagome . . ." she started guiltily.

"No, it's fine . . . I should just go ahead and convince myself that that's the reason." I interrupted. "It would be stupid to think it was because of something else."

"I'm sorry Kagome." Sango said softly, and I could tell she meant it.

"It's fine. Really." I smiled at her, but it was a little forced. "It's fine. I don't care what that jerk thinks anyway."

Sango looked as if she was about to disagree, but she instead closed her mouth and decided to indulge me as we headed off to eat lunch together.

**Well, let me know what you guys think of this first chapter. This is my first Inuyasha fanfic, so go easy on me please! Tell me things I should change, things I shouldn't change, and I'll be good to go. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

_"__I __wanted __to __tell __myself __that __it __was __me __he __was __seeing__, __when __he __looked __at __me __so __intensely__. __But __it __wasn__'__t __me__, __was __it__? __No__. __It __was __Kikyo__. __I __was __just __a __mirror__, __and __all __that __was __reflected __back __through __me __was __her__. __That __was __the __woman __he __saw__." _

_ Kagome __Higurashi_

After lunch, I retired back to my dorm for the day, since I only had two classes that day to attend anyway. My dorm was small, and luckily, I didn't have to share it with anyone. It wasn't very well furnished since I didn't have too much, but it was enough to suffice for the school year. I plopped my backpack down on the table in the small kitchen before I retired to my bedroom and flopped down ungracefully on my bed.

"It's so nice to be home . . ." I sighed to myself.

Before I knew it, I was fast asleep, dreaming of youkai throwing girls out of windows and strangling them in their sleep. I woke up, tormented by these nightmares in a cold sweat, and decided to shower to take my mind off of things.

When I finished with my shower, I had only had enough time to towel dry my hair before I heard a knocking on my door. I sighed, and grabbed my fluffy blue robe, tying it at the waist before I dared to go see who it was.

I glanced up in the peephole and was shocked to see a head of silver hair and two cute ears reflected back at me. Irritated at this disturbance, I opened the door and put my hands on my hips to show my displeasure. "What do you want?" I asked, rather rudely.

Inuyasha's ears flattened to his head, and he looked like he wasn't so happy to see my attitude. "You left this in the classroom." He held up a blue pen.

I stared at the pen, then at him. "Inuyasha, that's not mine." I stated, and gave him a pointed look.

"Yes it is." he insisted. "I saw you using it."

"You didn't look at me once the entire class period. The pen I was using is green." I said flatly, and went to shut the door in his face. His foot stopped me.

"Will ya just wait a sec and hear me out?" he demanded, and then sighed. "Look, I . . . uh . . ." his face turned a deep shade of red. "About Miroku . . ."

"What about him?" I couldn't deny there was a part of me thrilled to be in Inuyasha's presence, but there was another part that was eager to get him to hurry this up.

"You uh . . . you aren't thinking of . . . bearing his child, are you?" Inuyasha managed to look a bit disgruntled as he finally looked at my face, his ears still lowered.

I stared at him for a moment, flabbergasted. "Are you serious? Of course not! Next time you want to come visit me, you should think of a better excuse than a pen!"

"What? You think I just wanted an excuse to come see you? Please! Don't make me laugh!" He retorted, but by the embarrassment on his face, I was pretty sure I'd hit the mark.

"It's because I look like Kikyo, isn't it?" I demanded, point blank.

His expression did a total 360, and I actually felt guilty at the look of pain that flickered in his golden eyes. "How did you know about her?"

"It doesn't matter. If you're so interested in me, come back when you're interested in Kagome, not Kikyo." I snapped. I didn't know why I was being so harsh about it. It was only logical he'd be interested about me because I resembled the girl he loved, but it was slightly annoying to me that that was the only reason he was interested.

"Well, in that case, I'll never come back! I'm not interested in you! I'm anything but interested in you!" he declared vehemently, face flushed with anger. He turned on his heel and stomped off, and I slammed the door, angered.

_The __nerve __of __that __guy__! __It__'__s __like __he __just __can__'__t __leave __me __alone__! __Ugh__! _I stormed to my kitchen and began slamming pots around, preparing to make myself some dinner. To distract myself, I picked up my cellphone from the counter and dialed Sango's number.

"Hello?" she answered after a few rings.

"Hi Sango. It's Kagome. Are you busy?" I asked, fuming as I chopped up carrots.

"Nope." She popped the 'p'. "Is something up? You sound mad."

"Oh nothing. Jerkface just decided he'd pay me a visit."

"Uh-oh. Tell me about it." Sango said soothingly.

"He came to my dorm and said that I'd left my pen behind in class. It was a blue pen. A _blue _one. My pen is _green__. _He was sitting in front of me the whole class, so there was no way he could have seen the pen I was using. He just wanted an excuse to come to my dorm. And I don't even know how he knew which dorm was mine!" I ranted. The poor carrots were slowly becoming little specks of nothingness under my knife.

"I think it's kind of sweet, actually." Sango admitted.

"But it was just an excuse because I look like Kikyo." I said bitterly.

"And that could be true too." Sango agreed. She sighed. "Maybe you should get to know him, so he can like you for you."

"I just feel like he'd be looking at me without really seeing me." I slowed my chopping, and my tone grew sad. "He'd be looking at Kikyo."

"And maybe that too. But can you blame him? It was only a year or so ago that she died."

I sighed. "Yeah . . . so," I said abruptly, changing the subject, "what do you think of Miroku?"

Sango snorted. "Hah! That lech. He's slept with probably every girl on campus who will sleep with him. He's only looking to get into my pants. Nothing else."

"I think you've got a thing for him." I teased.

I could hear the blush in Sango's voice when she denied, "No I don't! You can't be serious, Kagome! I mean, that's absolutely preposterous! He's just . . . just a . . ." She sputtered, unable to finish.

I giggled. "It's ok. He's cute."  
"Well, yeah, but . . . a lech." She reminded me.

"Yeah." I agreed. "So, what all is there to do around here, anyway?"

"Well, there's plenty of clubs we can go to. There are a few that are specially for youkai, so we probably shouldn't hit those." Sango paused for a moment. "There's one I like going to a lot. It's called _Midnight__Hook__. _Weird name, I know, but it's really great. We can go there if you're interested sometime."

"Sure, I'd love to." In truth, I was a good girl. I'd never had a boyfriend, never slept around, never done drugs, never drunk, never gone to clubs, or anything like that. So going to a club to have a new experience was both intimidating and exciting.

"Well, we can go on Saturday or something. Maybe we can invite Inuyasha and Miroku." Sango suggested.

"Tch." My cheeks heated a the thought of dancing hip to hip with Inuyasha, but I'd never admit to it. "Sure, Miroku, but I'm not inviting that jerk Inuyasha."

"I think you've got a thing for him." Sango imitated me, using my words against me.

"As if!" I outburst. "You-you-NEVER!"

Sango burst out laughing. "It's written all over your face when you talk about him and in your voice. You can't hide anything from me, Kagome! You're like an open book. You're so easy to read."

I fumed silently. I couldn't deny my wild attraction to Inuyasha, but he was a jerk, and I didn't like his personality at all. I didn't care if he was interested in me because of Kikyo or what. I mumbled to myself.

"Well, either way, dinner is calling me, so I'm gonna go. I'll talk to you later, Kagome. And try not to fantasize about Inuyasha all night, all right?" Sango teased.

"_Good__-__bye__, __Sango_." She was still laughing when I hung up on her.

The next day I was a little more prepared to handle all the rich snobs and such. I fully ignored everyone as I made my way to class, and met up with Sango on the sidewalk, unlike the morning before. As she was chattering away happily about taking me to the club, I noticed Inuyasha, like the day before, walking up ahead of us. When he felt my eyes on him, he looked at me, but a scowl graced his features, and he harrumphed and turned away. I did the same, my cheeks burning with anger and attraction I wouldn't admit.

"I see you've spotted your man." Sango's voice brought me out of my sulking, and I flushed further.

"Haha, you're so hilarious." I said sarcastically. "Well, I'll just tell Miroku all about how you dreamed about him all night long . . ."

"Ok ok, I give." Sango held her hands up in defeat. "But you have to admit you think Inuyasha's good looking."

"Well . . . I . . ." I blushed, and when Inuyasha's ears twitched and his head swivelled back around at us, I reailzed he must have heard us. I "eeked" and hid behind Sango and waited until he turned back around before surfacing.

"I don't admit anything!" I declared stubbornly. Sango only sighed and shook her head as we walked to class.

I was in denial, and that was quite obvious, for the rest of the time, whenever Sango would bring up Inuyasha, I would refuse to speak about him at all period. She would only shake her head and go back to her work at my childish behavior.

When it was time for my second class, I wasn't very happy that I was going to have to spend it was Inuyasha. Who knew what he would try to pull today? Sango and I parted ways and I met up with Miroku on my way to class.

"Why hello Kagome. You are certainly looking below the weather today." Miroku commented in his pleasant voice. "May I inquire what's bothering you?"

I sighed. "Inuyasha is very confusing. He showed up at my dorm last night for God knows what reason. He said it was to return my pen, but it wasn't even my pen. And I'm sure it was just an excuse to come there because I look like Kikyo."

"That would be my assumption, as well." Miroku agreed. "I'm Inuyasha's best friend, and even I can't figure out his motives sometimes, but that one just speaks for itself. How did you react?"

"Not well." I admitted. "We ended up arguing and I slammed the door in his face."

Miroku nodded, as if he expected this behavior. "I'm not surprised. I'm sure he meant no harm, Kagome. He will just have to learn that despite your uncanny resemblance to Kikyo, that your personality is much different."

"What was she like?" I asked softly.

"Well, she was a very gentle spirit." Miroku explained, and I recalled Sango saying nearly the exact same thing the day before. "She was very quiet, very intelligent, and very kind. And when she displayed this kindness to Inuyasha, and acceptance for him where he couldn't find it much elsewhere, I wasn't surprised when he fell for her."

"Do you think . . . she was murdered?" I lowered my voice, so we weren't overheard.

"Certainly. It wasn't an accident, that's for sure. Unfortunately, my word isn't worth much, much like Inuyasha's. There was nothing he or I could do. And that pretty friend of yours, Sango, I remember her there, as well, at the scene of Kikyo's death. I'm very sure Sango would agree with me." Miroku replied.

"She does. She told me yesterday the same thing." I agreed. "I just can't get over how horrible it is, and how youkai could get away with something so tragic."

"We live in a world dominated by the higher power, and the rich. Humans are too afraid to challenge the word of youkai, and this university is no exception." Miroku said quietly. "Sango, Inuyasha and I aren't enough to stand up against them. I'm only human, and so is Sango. Inuyasha, unfortunately, is only half demon."

"Half?" Now _this_was new information. "I thought he was full."

Miroku shook his head. "No, he's only half. Half human, half dog youkai. He's accepted well enough here, but most of the full blooded, arrogant youkai look down on him even more than standard humans."  
"Well that's just ridiculous!" I declared, outraged by this nonsense. "He can't help what he is!"

"Even Kikyo said at times she wished Inuyasha was fully human." Miroku admitted.

I was shocked. "But Sango said she loved Inuyasha for who he was." I protested.

"Sango only knew what she saw. Kikyo loved Inuyasha yes, but . . . not fully enough to accept his half demon nature. Kikyo was so pure at heart. She took on the qualities of the miko from the Feudal Era, so it was only rational that him being half demon didn't sit too well with her. But I suppose maybe that was why she related to him. Kikyo was so in tune spiritually with others that she wasn't like other humans. Maybe she felt outcast. And she related to Inuyasha, as he too, is outcast."

I hadn't viewed it like that before. I felt a rush of sympathy and emotion for Inuyasha that I hadn't before. _To __be __alone__, __so __alien __and __so __alone_. . . I thought. "Outcast . . . Inuyasha . . ." I murmured softly to myself.

"Perhaps now you can understand a bit more now how he works and thinks. Why he's so intrigued by you. And perhaps you can sympathize with him. I think Inuyasha needs nothing more right now than for someone to understand him. And to accept him." Miroku said, just as softly, as we reached my class and stood outside for a moment.

"I . . . I don't care what he is." I said quietly. "Half demon, full demon, half human, full human . . . it makes no difference to me." I looked Miroku straight in the eyes. "Inuyasha is Inuyasha to me, and I look at him no differently. That is where Kikyo and I are different. Because he's not a half demon, he's just Inuyasha."

Miroku's gaze softened, and he smiled at me. "And that, Kagome, is why I hope so much more for you than for Kikyo." he said cryptically, and with that, he walked away from me.

I was puzzled by what he meant, and only after he walked away did I notice Inuyasha standing there, the strangest expression on his face. He was watching me with a mixture of confusion and mistrust, and I realized then that he'd heard my words. I softened my gaze toward him. "Inuyasha . . ." I started.

"Do you mean that?" he asked quietly.

I didn't pretend to act like I didn't know what he meant. "Yes." I answered, just as quietly.

Inuyasha started to walk past me into the classroom, but then he stopped, and finally looked at me. "Miroku is right. You are different." he said, and then walked into the classroom.

Those words pulled at my heartstrings, and I felt a pull toward Inuyasha that I hadn't ever felt toward a boy before. I slowly walked into the classroom after him and took my seat, unable to take my eyes off Inuyasha for the rest of the class.

**Aww**** . . . ****I ****think ****there ****should ****just ****be ****a ****collective**** '****aww****' ****right ****there****. ****But ****trust ****me****, ****this ****is ****only ****the ****beginning****. ****Their ****relationship ****is ****going ****to ****be ****a ****slow ****progression****. ****I ****really ****want ****it ****to ****grow****. ****And ****trust ****me****, ****on ****youtube****, ****there ****is ****a ****lot ****of ****music ****from ****the ****anime ****that ****I****'****m ****listening ****to ****when ****I ****write ****this ****stuff****, ****that ****way ****that ****it ****feels ****more ****like ****a ****true ****Inuyasha ****story****. ****You ****should ****definitely ****listen ****to ****this ****when ****you ****read ****that ****last ****scene****, ****because ****it****'****s ****so ****fitting****. ****Here ****it ****is****. ****Just ****remove ****the ****spaces****: ****http**** : / / ****www**** . ****youtube**** . ****com**** / ****watch****?****v****FPOYJRkmOu****8**

**Also, I only received one review for the first chapter! And while I'm not a review grubber, I will say this, I know that more than just one person favorited the story. So I know that you're reading it, and if you're enjoying it, I'd really like to know. Reviews are like payment I'm receiving for actually writing the story, so they're important to get. So if you're reading and you like it, even if it's only one or two words, please review and let me know you like it.**

**So****, ****what ****did ****you ****think ****of ****the ****chapter ****even ****if ****it ****was ****shorter ****than ****the ****last****? **


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm sorry if you got an email saying that I had updated and it didn't take you to a third chapter. This was due to uploading the chapter by accident before I was finished editing, so I apologize. But here is the real third chapter. So, I hope you guys like it! And thanks to each and every one of you who reviewed! I answer every review and I appreciate all the feedback that I get and I love it, even if it's not compliments. Trust me. **

Chapter three

_ "__I __had __never __felt __so __natural __before__. __I __always __felt __as __if __there __was __somethin__' __to __hide__, __or __somethin__' __to __prove__. __I __knew __what __it __was __like __to __be __the __outcast__. __I __still __am__. __But __with __Kagome __around__, __it __was __as __if __I __wasn__'__t __the __outcast __anymore__. __I __was __neither __half __demon __nor __half __human__. __I __was __just __Inuyasha__. __I __was __just __me__." _

_Inuyasha_

"Sango! You can't be serious!" I cried.

She was currently trying to put me in a mini skirt that showed off quite a bit of my rear if I bent over. She said it was appropriate attire for a club, and I said it was appropriate attire for the streets if I wanted some extra cash. She laughed at that, but was still determined to put me in the skirt.

"Sango, I'm not wearing it." I stamped my foot.

Miroku sighed from his position on my bed. Over the past week at the university, I'd grown pretty close to both Sango and Miroku. Miroku shamelessly flirted with Sango, and though he flirted with all women, Sango was his favorite. I just learned to ignore them. But they got along, when he wasn't being lecherous toward me or her.

"Kagome, you'll never attract men if you never dress to attract them." Miroku chided.

"I don't have to dress like a slut to dress attractive!"

"True." He allowed, laying back on my bed and relaxing.

"Come on, Kagome, just for tonight. Please?" Sango pleaded. "It looks so good on you!"

I looked at my reflection in the mirror. Big, innocent brown eyes stared back at me. My skin was pale and delicate, and I was slender, but with curves in all the right places. I did look good in the skirt, but I was showing far too much skin for my liking. I sighed.

"Just for tonight." I grumbled. "I'm never wearing something so slutty again." I warned her.

Sango smiled. "Thank you, Kagome." Herself, Sango wore a tight black dress that showed off how curvaceous she was.

My top was a light blue color with straps that were so low they were on my upper arms, and they exposed my shoulders. I wore black heels, and Miroku was dressed in a white button down with black jeans. He looked rather handsome, I had to admit, laying there in my bed.

"Well, I guess we're ready to go to the club." I sighed finally. Miroku stood up from my bed and eyed both Sango and me appreciatively as we all headed out of my dorm and to Miroku's black sleek sports car.

Ever since the day I'd said that bit about accepting Inuyasha for who he was, Inuyasha had sort of avoided me. Well, sort of was an understatement. He'd purposely avoided taking the path on the sidewalk to keep from seeing me. And I didn't understand why that was. The one class we had together he sat as far as possible from me, and was out of his seat and out the door before the teacher even finished dismissing us. It was rather annoying.

I hadn't bothered to confront him, but if he kept it up for long, I was planning on it. I was snapped from my thoughts as Sango elbowed me and we all climbed into Miroku's car together.

I listened to Sango and Miroku's usual banter on the way to the club, but was mainly absorbed in my own thoughts about Inuyasha _I __thought __he __might __actually __like __me __after h__earing __me __say __that__, __but __instead__, __he__'__s __been __avoiding __me __like __the __plague__. __And __I __won__'__t __lie__. __It __hurts__, __especially __since __I__'__m __willing __to __accept __him __a__way __that __Kikyo __didn__'__t__. _And then I caught myself guilty. _I __shouldn__'__t __think __ill __of __her __though__ . . . __she __had __her __life __cut __short __by __petty __youkai __who __couldn__'__t __accept __her __relationship __with __Inuyasha__. __It __was __a __terrible __fate__._

"Kagome?" Sango asked softly. I turned my attention to her. "Are you all right? You've been pretty quiet. You look sad."

"I was just thinking about Kikyo and Inuyasha." I admitted. "It's just . . . I feel sorry for them both. She suffered a terrible fate. Her life was taken from her. And she was taken from Inuyasha."

Sango nodded her head slowly in agreement. "It was terrible . . . but . . . let's not worry about those things tonight, ok? We want to have fun tonight." Sango said gently. I knew it wasn't because she wasn't sympathetic towards Kikyo or Inuyasha, but because she didn't want it dragging me down all the time.

I plastered a fake smile to my face for her benefit. "You're right. Silly me, worrying about all that. We'll have a great time!" Sango and Miroku seemed to have bought it, for they left it alone after that. _Poor __Kikyo__ . . ._

When we reached the club, and I saw how huge the line was, my jaw fell to the floor. "How are we ever going to get in?" I wondered, dazed.

Miroku smiled charmingly. "Leave it to me, Kagome. I can pull a lot of strings." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at Sango, who didn't look impressed.

"Yeah, and I can wiggle my foot up your ass if you don't get your hand off my leg." she snapped, and Miroku chuckled nervously as he did so and led us out of the car.

To my surprise, Miroku cut straight through the line, ignoring the angry shouts of other humans and youkai, and to the front, where two huge, intimidating men guarded the front doors.

One of the men smiled when he saw Miroku. "Ah, Miroku! It's been a while since you came to our club! And I see you're keeping up with the ladies, as well." he gestured to me and Sango, and we exchanged dubious glances. "Well, you can go right on in with these ladies here sir. Have a good night."

"Thank you Satashi." Miroku said gracefully, leading Sango and I by the elbows inside.

"Sir?" Sango mimicked, looking at Miroku for an explanation.

"Sesshomaru owns this club. And since he's Inuyasha's half brother and Inuyasha is my best friend . . ." Miroku trailed off.

I sighed. "Rich people." I muttered to myself. Sango and Miroku looked at me rather innocently, and I rolled my eyes. Then another thought occurred to me. "Wait a minute, half brother? Inuyasha has a half brother?"

"Yes. He's older, and he, unlike Inuyasha, is a full youkai and highly feared around this university. Sesshomaru has looks, power, and money, so he can practically run Shikon no Tama university behind the scenes." Sango explained

"I never imagined Inuyasha with any siblings. Do they . . . get along?" I asked. To my surprise, both Sango and Miroku burst out laughing.

"Not at all. They're bitter enemies. Sesshomaru believes that Inuyasha is lesser than himself since he is half demon, and that human blood is tainted blood. He looks down on his brother and all humans." Miroku replied. "Some even say that Sesshomaru is responsible for the death of Kikyo."

"That's just terrible!" I said angrily. "How could he do such a thing to his own half brother? It's disgusting."

"Well, those are only speculations." Miroku corrected me. "Personally, I think Sesshomaru is far too enamoured with himself to bother meddling in Inuyasha's personal affairs."

I considered this. "So . . . what did Sesshomaru think of Kikyo and Inuyasha together? Or do you know?"

"Like I said, he was far too full of himself. But, when he did voice his opinion, he said that Kikyo suited Inuyasha since he was human and Inuyasha was weak. So basically, it was like a scathing approval." Miroku answered.

"So, Sesshomaru would naturally hate me because I resemble Kikyo and I'm human?" I asked.

"Probably." Sango finally piped in. "But, I don't know too much about Sesshomaru personally. Miroku knows better than me."

Just as I opened my mouth to ask another question, Miroku sighed and cut me off. "Kagome, we're here to have a good time. You should save the questions for later and have a drink and dance with someone. This is your first time at a club, after all."

"Shh!" I covered his mouth with my hand as a few girls walking by overheard and started giggling. I felt myself blush. "I told you not to mention that. I don't want everyone thinking I'm so naive."

"Well, either way, take Miroku's advice. Have a drink and go dance. Come on." Sango took my hand and started dragging me to the bar. The music was thumping and my heart was thumping along with the beat, and the smell of sweat, sex, and perfume was heavy in the air. The club was modern, the lights were colorful and flashing, and the furniture was all blood-red and the lastest in apparently had very good taste.

When we reached the bar, Sango ordered us some drinks and while I waited, I scanned the crowd. I saw many of the college kids we went to school with amongst the crowd, humans and youkai alike. All were dancing, laughing, and talking, enjoying themselves as if they were born to party. And for a moment, I felt terribly insecure and out of place.

_I __won__'__t __be __intimidated __by __this __club__. _I thought, determined. _I__'__m __going __to __have __a __good __time __and __show __all __of __them __that __I __can __look __as __natural __here __as __they __do__! _In truth, no one was really paying me attention, but I felt paranoid and out of place, and I wanted desperately to not be naive anymore, to experience these things and have a taste of life.

"You look awfully deep in thought." Sango commented, as she handed me my drink. It was pink.

"What is it?" I asked warily.

"Just try it."

I took a sip of it, and I could taste the alcohol. It was tangy and sweet, and the alcohol burned my throat on the way down and tingled on my tongue. I felt warm all over. I shuddered, and took another swallow, bigger this time. Sango watched in amazement as I suddenly threw my head back and chugged it, before I slammed my glass down.

"You know, Kagome, that had a little bit of vodka in it . . . you should drink it slowly." Sango said, her eyebrows up and in her bangs.

"Nope! I feel better already! Can I get another?" I turned around to face the bartender, and his expression mirrored Sango's.

"Uh, sure . . . one sec." he disappeared to go make my drink. When he returned with it, I chugged the second one with as much vigor as the first and sighed in delight as my body filled with pleasant warmth. I felt confident, sure, and strong.

"I think I want to go dance." I said, and was shocked by how self assured I sounded.

"Kagome, you just chugged two of those. Don't you want to let it settle a bit before you just jump out there and start dancing?" Sango asked, bewildered.

"Nope." I repeated. I took Sango's hand just as she finished her first drink, and started dragging her down to the dance floor. We'd lost Miroku somewhere when we'd first left for the bar, but I wasn't concerned with his location at the moment. I was only concerned with dancing my heart out to this seductive beat.

"All right Sango, show me how to dance!" I declared, when we were right smack in the middle of the dancing bodies. She hesitated, before she started showing me some basic steps. The dance was simple enough, simply swivelling your hips to the beat and going with the flow. I picked it up in a matter of minutes, and soon we were both laughing and dancing, and I'd never had so much fun in my entire life.

Miroku appeared after a while, and he gave Sango an old fashioned bow. "May I have the honor of this dance?" he smiled at her, and there was a twinkle in his eyes. I exchanged glances with Sango, seeing the delightful pink blush on her pretty face. "Go on" I mouthed, and watched as Miroku took her hand and whisked her into his arms. Soon they were both dancing and smiling, and the two looked so good together that I couldn't help but be happy for them.

I picked up where I'd left off in my dance, simply enjoying dancing by myself, but soon, a man with long blond hair approached me, and asked me if I wanted to dance. He was handsome, but his eyes lacked warmth, and from the red marks on his face, I gathered he was a youkai.

"I'm Leonard, and you, are far more beautiful than the eyes can withstand. I would love to dance with you." he said smoothly, taking my hand in his and kissing it with lips as smooth as his voice.

"Oh, well, I guess it's ok. Thank you." I added, flushing a little with pleasure at his compliment. "I'm Kagome."  
"Your name is lovely, as you are." He pulled me against him using my hand, and began to swivel his hips against mine to the beat. My heart was pounding being this close to a man and dancing this intimately with one. It was a whole new experience.

But after a while into the dance, his hands drifted down from my hips to my bottom, and I felt my eyes widen. I shoved away from him suddenly, crying in outrage, "What do you think you're doing? Keep your hands off me!"

"Oh please, Kagome, you can't expect not to attract that sort of attention, dressed as you are." Leonard said, as if I were a child stupid at learning a lesson.

He grabbed my wrists and pulled me back against him. I struggled, but he was far stronger than me, and far stronger than any human, so it was to no avail. "Trust me, Kagome, I could ravish you in ways like never before." He whispered, a seductive promise in his words. I shuddered in disgust.

"I think she told you to keep your hands off her!" a voice laced with anger shouted, and I was suddenly ripped from Leonard's arms and into another set, these more gentle than his own.

I looked over my shoulder, surprised to see Inuyasha was my savior. He was growling quietly, ears twitching, fangs bared at Leonard, who simply looked amused at Inuyasha's threatening stance.

"Oh please, little dog. Do you really think you can hurt me?" Leonard sneered.

"If you _ever _lay another hand on her, I won't just hurt you, I'll kill you." Inuyasha snarled, before he dragged me away from the scene.

"Inuyasha, where are you taking me?" I demanded, as we surfaced from the club.

"Far away from here. What the _hell _were you doing in that club? Are you _trying _to get raped, dressed like that?" he retorted. He was madder than hell, that was for sure, even though his grip on my wrist was only firm, not rough.

"I don't see how it's any of your business! I didn't ask you to save me!" I snapped.

"But you didn't thank me either! If it wasn't for me, you would be in some dark alleyway, probably being eaten by that demon scum." Inuyasha growled at me, pulling me to a red sports car that I assumed was his.

He had a point, and it pissed me off to no end that I couldn't argue with that. I stuck my lower lip out in an angry pout, and looked away from him sulkily. "Get in the car." Inuyasha commanded.

I crossed my arms over my chest stubbornly. "No. I just got to that club. I'm not about to leave because you went psycho!"

His eye twitched. "Get. In. The. Car. _Now_."

I turned on my heel and started walking away. "I'm going back." I paused, and then added over my shoulder quietly, "Thanks for saving me, Inuyasha."

All I heard was a growl in response, and then, in a flash, my wrists were seized and I was whirled around, and in his arms, his hands locked around me. I gasped at the feeling of his hard body pressed so tightly to mine, and my heart skipped a beat as I looked up into his eyes. They were sharp, piercing golden, and being this close to him and looking into his eyes, I again had the feeling that he wasn't seeing me, that he was seeing Kikyo.

"I won't have you going back in there to be assaulted by that bastard." His voice wasn't as sharp as before, but it was still rough as usual. "Get in the car, woman."

"My name is Kagome. Ka-go-me." I sounded out for him irritably. "Not woman. If you can't even address me by my name, why in the world do you expect me to listen to you? And I'm not a slave you can just order around."

"There isn't room for discussion. _Get__in__the__car_." His voice was commanding, and his arms tightened around me, further pressing me into his body and causing a deep blush to bloom on my face. I was so undoubtedly attracted to him, and my body responded to being so closely pressed against him. I tried to think past the feelings so I could form clear words.

"Let go of me." I ordered, forcing myself to glare at him despite my blush.

"Stop arguin' and listen!"

"Why do you even care?" I suddenly screamed in his face. "All you see when you look at me is Kikyo! You've avoided me for days on end because I look like her, and all you see right now is her! You can't protect her, because I'm not her! And you can't protect me because I'm not yours to protect!"  
I saw, for the second time, that flicker of pain in his golden eyes. "No, you're not her." He agreed quietly, and I felt a rush of guilt for my harsh words. They were true, but, I didn't have to be so mean about it. After all, he had loved Kikyo, and seeing me and wanting to protect me only made sense.

Slowly, his arms melted from around me and he released me, but didn't release my eyes. "Inuyasha, I . . ." I started, and I rested my fingertips on his arm. He turned away from me, and shrugged my hand off.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." I said softly.

"Feh. It takes a lot more than words to hurt me." He scoffed, but there wasn't really any bite to his tone. I smiled a little.

"So . . . why were you at the club anyway?" I asked.

Suddenly, his face grew very red, and he wouldn't look at me. "Miroku mentioned he was going with Sango."

_And __that __I __was __going__. _I finished in my mind. I sighed. "So you came to spy?"

"Hah! As if I'd spy on _you_! I wasn't even thinkin' about you at all!" He snapped defensively.

I arched an eyebrow. "I didn't even mention me. You just told on yourself."

"Er . . ." His ears flattened to his head, and his blush deepened as he glared at his shoes. I giggled quietly, before I sighed again.

"Inuyasha," I said gently, "I know about Kikyo, and how you felt about her. And I respect your feelings. It was a terrible thing, that you lost her, and I can never tell you how sorry I am. But . . . I'm not Kikyo, and you don't need to protect me. It's sweet, but I don't need protection, and you say that you know that I'm not her, but you're stuck on watching over me. You don't need to. I want you around to be around _me_, not for her."

"It's not for her . . ." He muttered, but I knew the truth. I sighed and shook my head.

"Look, I'm going to go back in the club now. Do you want to come?" I offered, and a part of me sort of hoped that he would.

He bared his fangs. "You're not goin' back into that club, and I sure as hell am not."

I glared. "What did we just discuss, Inuyasha? I don't know who you think you are, but you can't rule me!"

"I don't care. Do you honestly think you can fight me off if I try to drag you to my car?"

"I'd like to see you try!"

Not expecting him to take it seriously, Inuyasha seized me around the waist and hoisted me up, caveman style, over his shoulder. I screamed and kicked and beat on his back with my fists, but to no avail. I heard a car door opening, and suddenly I was thrown into the car and onto the leather seat. The door was shut, and before I had time to recover, he was sitting behind the wheel and he locked all the doors.

"Let me out right now!" I ordered, whirling around to face him, my fists clenched furiously.

"No. I'm taking you back to my place, and you're going to stay there for the night. That demon bastard might decide to come to your dorm tonight, so it's too risky to leave you there." Inuyasha growled.

"Ugh, you're such a pig head!" I whined in frustration as he started the car. "Ok, so he grabbed my ass, and probably would have assaulted me, but it's not like he was going to come to my dorm and get me! He doesn't know where my dorm even is!"

"He can follow your scent. Your scent is overpowering. You'd be easy to track." Inuyasha muttered as he began driving.

"Do you mean I _stink_?"

He didn't answer that. "Geez, you're annoyin'! And you're a lot more trouble than you're worth!"

_Why __you__ . . ._ "Then why do you keep following me!"

I had him there. "I'm not!" He snapped.

"Right, and I'm the Queen of England." I said sarcastically. "You know, you have a lot of arrogance for such a creepy stalker."

Abruptly, he let out a little laugh. It would have been cute under any other circumstances. "And you have a big mouth for such a little woman."

I simply turned away, deciding to ignore him for now. It didn't look like I was going to get my way, so I was going to give him the silent treatment. "I still don't get why you even care so much." I muttered, mainly to myself. It was true, that I looked like Kikyo and that would be his main reason to want to protect me, but at the same time, it still didn't explain why he was _so_bent on doing it. I mean, he had to be able to differentiate between us somewhere.

"If you've got somethin' to say then just say it." He snapped at me, obviously overhearing my comment.

"I have nothing to say." I said haughtily. And after that, the rest of the ride was in silence.

We drove for maybe twenty minutes before Inuyasha pulled into a large paved driveway, which led up to a giant black gate. The gate was already open, so we pulled in, and I saw, at the end of the driveway, a large white mansion. I wasn't surprised, to be honest. I'd heard from various people that Inuyasha was rich, and though this mansion wasn't what I'd pictured in my mind exactly, it was pretty close. The design was Victorian, but I knew that the inside would probably be modern enough.

After he parked the car and unlocked the doors, I sat there for a moment, considering my options. I could go ahead and go inside and leave myself completely vulnerable to him, where God knows what he could do to me, or I could try to run for it when I got out. I knew, already, how fast Inuyasha was, and despite the fact he was only half youkai, he was strong, very strong, and I couldn't fight him off too easily. It would be a miracle if I could manage to escape.

_But __where __would __you __go__?_ A little voice in my mind asked. _You __can__'__t __walk __from __here __to __your __home__. _

_It __doesn__'__t __matter__. _I thought stubbornly. _Anywhere __is __better __than __here__._

Inuyasha was watching me from outside, waiting for me to get out, and he looked impatient. "What are ya waitin' for?" he demanded.

_Here __goes__._ I thought. I opened my car door calmly enough and climbed out. I took a deep breath, and didn't even bother to look at Inuyasha as I took off running down the driveway.

I only vaguely heard his yells after me, but I didn't slow down for a second. I wasn't going to be confined to his whims. I quickened my pace, and felt my heart skip a beat when I heard his footsteps from behind me. There was a flash of red and silver, and then he landed in front of me, and I ran right into his hard chest.

I didn't even pause. My knee came rushing up, and I slammed it into his groin. He doubled over in pain, and I shoved him out of the way and kept running. "You little bitch!" He managed to choke out, but I ignored him and kept on.

I however, was not expecting there to be a rock in my way to slow down my departure. I hadn't thought that far ahead, so when my foot caught on a rock and I started heading down, I knew it was all over. I hit the asphalt hard, and gasped at the impact as I scrapped my legs.

I sat there for a moment, enduring the painful sting, and a moment later, black converse appeared in my vision and I looked up into the very supremely pissed off face of Inuyasha. "You . . . are _so_dead." he stated. Then he noticed the line of blood running up my calf, and his expression changed completely. He kneeled down and took my leg gently in his clawed hands, inspecting the wound. It was a thin cut, all the way from the bottom of my calf to the top, but it was bleeding and it stung. I knew it would take a while to heal, but it wasn't a horrible wound.

"You're hurt." he said softly, and I felt my heart begin to pound when he cradled my leg in his lap and lifted it to his mouth, and licked the cut from the bottom to the top, as if he was trying to clean the injury. I shivered at the feeling, because it both stung and felt pleasant at the same time, and I didn't want to pull away.

His eyes lifted to mine from underneath long, black lashes, and my breath caught. I had never noticed before how beautiful he really was. And the way he was looking at me was so indescribably sexy that I had to remind my hazed mind not to get caught up by looks.

"I-Inuyasha," I stammered, "I'm fine. J-just, stop that." I was referring to his claws, which were lightly stroking up and down my leg, as if comforting me. Tingles were racing all along my skin, paths of fire following the trails of his fingertips, and I'd never felt anything so good in my life.

"Why?" he murmured, and his voice was low, slightly rougher than usual. I saw the desire in his eyes, but also the concern. "Is it hurting you?"

"Not . . . not exactly." I wouldn't dare admit that I enjoyed it, but I wasn't going to just let him have his way with me either.

"I need to get you inside so I can take care of you." His arms slid underneath my legs and he lifted me in his arms before I could protest, and began carrying me to his house. "And by the way," he added, "You're _still_ gonna be dead for kickin' me in the balls." he said it so calmly, but I could hear the threatening tone.

**There****! ****Another ****long ****chapter ****to ****keep ****the ****readers ****satisfied****. ****So****, ****what ****do ****you ****think ****so ****far****? ****Do ****you ****think ****there****'****s ****enough ****chemistry ****between ****the ****two****? ****Is ****Inuyasha ****being ****a ****jerk****? ****Let ****me ****know ****in ****a ****review****! :****P**


	4. Chapter 4

**Once ****again****, ****thank ****you ****each ****and ****every****one ****of ****you ****that ****are ****reviewing****. ****I****'****m ****glad ****everyone****'****s ****enjoying ****the ****story ****so ****far****, ****and ****hopefully ****you****'****ll ****stick ****with ****me ****until ****the ****very ****ending****.**

**Also****, ****something ****else ****has ****come ****to ****my ****attention****. ****I****'****ve ****had ****a ****few ****people ****comment ****on ****my ****portrayal ****of ****Kikyo****. ****I ****am ****not ****a ****Kikyo ****hater****, ****and ****I ****will ****not ****make ****her ****into ****a ****soulless ****monster****, ****ever****. ****So****, ****if ****you ****were ****hoping ****for ****that****, ****sorry****. ****I****'****m ****glad ****that ****everyone ****is ****satisfied ****I****'****m ****not ****making ****her ****terrible****. ****Now****, ****on ****with ****the ****chapter****.**

Chapter four

_ "__It __was __like __an __invasion __of __privacy __that __I__'__d __never __dreamed __of__. __If __anyone __was __gonna __protect __her__, __it __was __gonna __be __me__. __But __I __wasn__'__t __expectin__' __the __repercussions __of __havin__' __Kagome __around__. __She __saw __me __and __she __knew __me__, __in __her __eyes__. __I __didn__'__t __have __to __explain __myself __to __her__. __Because __she __already __knew__."_

_Inuyasha_

After Inuyasha carried me inside, he took me into what I assumed to be a sitting room, or a living room, and he set me down on an expensive, brown, leather couch. "Just stay there." He commanded, before disappearing from the room.

I took the moment to look around. There was a large, flat screen television, no doubt costing thousands of dollars, a few coffee tables here and there made out of the finest wood, tall bookshelves, and an entertainment center filled with videogame systems, videogame cases, etc. It was so boyish, all of it, but it was still modern and expensive and it was still nice.

Inuyasha reentered the room after a few minutes, and he had a first aid kit and what looked to be a wet rag. He set the supplies on the coffee table in front of the couch and pulled my legs into his lap and sat down, before he began to clean at the wound with the wet rag. He worked silently, and I just watched him as he worked. There was a little line between his dark brows, and he was scowling, as usual, but more in concentration than anything else.

"Inuyasha?" I asked softly.

"What?"

"Tell me about Kikyo."

His hand froze, but only for a beat, before he resumed cleaning my wound. "There's nothin' to say. I'm sure Miroku or Sango can tell ya anythin' you want to know."

"But you were in love with her." I said bluntly. "So, that means, you must have known her better than anyone else."

"I already told you there's nothin' to say!" he suddenly snapped, and I recoiled, upset by his outburst. When he saw my expression, his ears lowered and he had the grace to look guilty. "She was kind." he said quietly, finally. "And she put everyone else before herself. Including me. We weren't together as long as I wish we would've been, but it was enough to know her."

"You must miss her so much." I said softly.

"It was two years ago. My freshman year. So I'm not a baby like everyone seems to think." He voice was back to it's usual rough tone, and he was back to cleaning my cut. "I'm fine. She died, and I'm fine."

I wasn't sure what spurred me to do it, but something made me lift my hand and place it over his. Inuyasha tensed for a moment, before he relaxed, and turned his hand over, cradling my little hand in his bigger one. He looked up into my eyes. "Thank you, Kagome." he said.

When he noticed I was just staring at him, he scowled. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just . . . you never said my name before." I said softly.

"Yeah, what of it?" He demanded.

"It's just, I think you like me more now." I replied, a small smile working it's way onto my face.

"Tch. Don't get excited." he retorted, his ears flicking petulantly. "I still think you're pretty useless."

I scowled and opened my mouth to say something smart, but then sighed and decided I should just be happy that he finally could address me by my name. "So where do you plan to put me when you get done with this?" I gestured to my leg, which he was currently bandaging.

"Easy. My room. OW!" he cried as I whacked him over the head with my hand.

"You're such a pig." I said with disgust.

"Not so I can bone ya, you idiot! So I can keep an eye on you!" he snapped.

"I don't need you hovering over me in my sleep like some kind of creepy vulture." I remarked, crossing my arms over my chest. "You're bound to have a guest room somewhere in this mansion. It's huge."

"Master Inuyasha? Can I assist you with anything?" both of us looked to the doorway, where a short, bald man with a thick white beard was standing, wearing an unmistakable butler's uniform.

"We're good, Myoga." Inuyasha replied, looking annoyed for some reason at the intrusion.

"I apologize, Master Inuyasha. I was not aware you had a lady friend in your presence. Shall I prepare a guest room?" he questioned, still persistent.

"That would be wonderful." I said happily, smiling at Myoga gratefully. Perhaps he'd overheard our conversation and was coming to the rescue.

He smiled back. "I'll get right on that. If you'll excuse me." He disappeared.

"Now wait a minute! You're _my _butler, so you take orders from _me_!" Inuyasha hollered after him, looking peeved. "Ugh, is _everyone _ganging up on me today?"

"Don't be a baby." I sighed. "You know as well I as I do that I'm not about to sleep in the same room as you when we barely know each other."

"Tch. It's my house."

"And it's my body." I retorted, and he glared at me for a moment before shutting up.

When Inuyasha finished bandaging my cut, Myoga reappeared in the doorway. "Miss, I've got the room prepared if you're ready to retire for the night?"

"I think I am. I've had enough excitement for one day." I replied, and started to stand, but Inuyasha picked me up like before with a simple, "No you don't. I'll carry you up there."

"It's not as if I'm helpless." I chided, but didn't fight him. "You can't carry me to all my classes Monday."

He muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "Wanna bet?" but I didn't bother to question it as he carried me up a set of stairs in the lobby after Myoga.

My room was the first room at the top of the stairs on the right of the hallway, and I gasped at the inside. The theme of the room was pink and purple, with silk bedsheets and curtains. The bed was massive, enough for ten people, it looked, with a canopy of gauzy purple material hanging over it. The carpets were a light shade of pink, and there were mahogany dressers and a door leading to what looked like a balcony, and another door leading to a bathroom.

"So, do you have a sister or something?" I asked, bewildered by the girlyness of the room.

"Feh. No. My brother was just prepared when he made this mansion. He made it specifically for me, and he just assumed Kikyo would move in eventually if we continued the relationship." Inuyasha explained. "Lucky for Sesshomaru it didn't." he added in a bitter mutter.

He carried me into the room and set me down on the bed. Inuyasha paused and waited until Myoga had left before he asked, "So, do you need help undressing?" his cheeks were a bit red and he was looking at me so earnestly, as if he almost hoped I'd say 'yes'.

"Ugh! Pervert. Get out!" I ordered, and he practically fled when I came at him with my fists.

When the door closed after him, I laid down on the bed with a sigh. _It__'__s __so __strange__, __that __I__'__m __actually __in __Inuyasha__'__s __house__, __laying __here __in __this __bed__. __It__'__s __sort __of__ . . . __intimate__. _My cheeks flushed at the thought. _Oh__, __stop __it __Kagome__! __Thinking __things __like __that __is __going __to __get __you __in __the __same __predicament __as __Kikyo__! _I sighed, and closed my eyes. Thoughts of Inuyasha consumed me, and before long, I was fast asleep.

Sunlight poured onto my eyelids, rousing me from my deep slumber. I rolled over with my eyes still closed, and ran into a hard, flat surface. Confused, I opened my eyes, seeing a bare, masculine chest in front of me. It took me just a minute from that moment to figure out that I was no longer in the guest room bed, because the bed I was in had a white bedspread with red lining. It took me another minute to figure out that I was laying in only my bra and underwear, and that Inuyasha was laying in this bed with me with no shirt on and his arms around me.

I screamed.

He came awake with a start, and I was flailing and screaming like a mad woman, beating on him and shoving him out of the bed with desperation. "Kagome! What the hell are you doin'! Wait, no, don't-NGH!" Inuyasha hit the floor with a loud _THUD_and I yanked the covers up around me as I bolted up in the bed.

Inuyasha shot up, fangs bared and claws twitching. "What'd ya do that for, Kagome!"

"You tell me what the heck I'm doing here in your bed with no clothes on!" I practically shrieked.

"You have a bra and thong." he said matter-of-factly, scowling. "You said you'd be fine in your own room, but I wanted to make sure so I brought you in here."

"And you took my _clothes_?"

"You looked like you'd be more comfortable without 'em!" he said defensively. "And besides, I wanted to make sure that demon from yesterday didn't come and get you!"

"Ugh, you just wanted an excuse to undress me and put me in your bed!" I accused.

"Feh! As if! You're the _last_woman I'd put in my bed!" he snarled. When he saw my expression change to complete indifference, he looked fearful of me.

"Oh really? Well, if that's how you feel, you should have no trouble giving me my clothes back and excusing me as I leave." I said calmly. I stood up from the bed with the white sheet covering me, and I spotted my clothes laying on top of his dresser. I walked over and grabbed them, and started for the door.

"Hey . . . where ya goin'?" he called after me.

"I'm leaving. I have to get back to my dorm and explain myself to Sango and Miroku so they don't freak out." I dropped the sheet with my back to him, and heard Inuyasha gulp at the sight of my backside, since I had a white thong on.

"I . . . uh . . ." I glanced at him over my shoulder as he stuttered like an idiot, seeing his eyes were glued down south, not on my face. His face was flushed, and it was as if he couldn't look away. _Since __he __took __off __my c__lothes__, __it__'__s __not __as __if __he __hasn__'__t __already __seen __me__. __Ugh__, __men __are __such __pigs __sometimes__. _I thought disdainfully, as I pulled on the miniskirt from the night before and then the blue top.

Inuyasha seemed to regained some of his IQ back, for he said, "I already called Miroku and he let Sango know where you were. So you don't . . . have to just take off."

"You've already stated your opinion on my staying here, so I'll leave. I can't say I'm particularly fond of your company either." I said snootily, pulling on my heels and opening his room door.

"Why do ya gotta be so damned stuck up about it?" Inuyasha demanded, and I finally faced him. It was then that I took the chance to really look at him. He wore only a pair of dark red sweatpants, low on his hips, so I could see his hip bones. He had hard muscles on his stomach that were quite defined, but not enough to be overbearing, and he had very nice biceps as well. His arms were strong and lean, and his collarbone was sculpted out of marble, it appeared. It took me a moment to snap out of my lust induced haze and tell myself he was a jerk and I didn't need to be ogling him.

I didn't answer that question. "I'm leaving now, Inuyasha. Good-bye." I left his room and walked a few steps before I ran into Myoga.

"Oh, Lady Kagome, I trust you slept well?" he greeted me.

"Yes, I slept well enough. Though I can't say I was too pleased to wake up half naked in someone else's bed." I added rather loudly, knowing Inuyasha could hear me.

Myoga chuckled. "I apologize for my master's behavior, Miss. However, do not be so harsh to him. He seems rather fond of you."

I felt my angry disposition begin to melt. "You really think so?"

"Certainly." Myoga nodded. "Why else would he insist on you staying in his room?"

_I __can __think __of __a __few __reasons__. _I thought dryly, but decided to give Myoga the benefit of the doubt. "Well, fond or not, I still disagree with those methods. But I was just leaving. So, thank you for everything Myoga."

"Anytime, Lady Kagome. You're welcome to visit the mansion anytime. Have a good day." Myoga sidestepped around me and I descended the stairs.

It was only after I emerged from the mansion that I realized I didn't really have a way home. I sighed under my breath. _Now __what__? __I __can__'__t __walk __home __from __here__. __I__'__m __going __to __have __to __go __back __inside __and __ask __Inuyasha __for __a __ride__. __How __humiliating__, __especially __after __an __exit __like __that__. __Ugh__. _I thought glumly. I turned right back around and reentered the mansion, surprised to see Inuyasha already heading my way. He was wearing a red t-shirt and jeans now.

"Kagome? I thought you were leaving." He sneered.

I bit back a sharp retort, and swallowed my pride. "I can't just walk home. I need a ride." I finally said, dejectedly.

"Hmph! Apologize to me and I might _consider_it." He turned away from me and crossed his arms over his well defined chest, glaring at the wall.

_Ugh__. __My __little __brother __is __more __mature__. _I thought. "I'm . . . _sorry_."

His golden eyes flickered back to me, as if trying to determine if I was sincere or not. "Well, let's go then." He snatched my hand up and pulled me out of the mansion and to his car. I blushed at his hand wrapped around mine, though I didn't pull away. I wasn't surprised that I didn't really want to pull away, either.

"So what were you plannin' on doin' when you got back to your dorm anyway?" Inuyasha questioned as we started down the road. He had released my hand by now, much to my unwanted displeasure.

"Probably chores. Washing dishes, clothes, all that. And some homework too." I replied absentmindedly as I looked out the window, resting my chin on the swell of my hand.

"Feh. Women's work." Inuyasha muttered.

"What about you then?"

"Uh, nothin' really . . . Thought about practicing with my sword with Totosai."

"Sword?" Totosai?" I asked, my head swimming with questions.

"There's an ancient sword that's been passed down in my family for generations. My father was the last one to have it before he died, and he specifically left it to me. It's named the Tetsusaiga, because it was supposedly made of the fang of a great dog youkai about five hundred or so years ago. Possibly more." Inuyasha explained. "Totosai is my sensei, of sorts, and he trains me how to sword fight over the weekends. He gave me this weekend off, but I thought about goin' down there anyway."

"I'd like to see you practice." I surprised myself by saying.

I was surprised further when Inuyasha flushed a little. "Really? Kikyo never really had interest in it."

"Sure, I'd love to see." I replied, smiling at him. He just flushed further, and I again had that feeling when he was looking at me he was trying to differentiate between me and Kikyo, but was seeing her more than anything else.

"Well, don't ya wanna go home?" he asked gruffly, looking away.

"Well, I would like to shower and all that, if you don't mind. I smell like alcohol and God knows I feel like I'm stewing in my own stench here." I replied.

"Then I'll just take you home, and then you can come with me to my lesson." Inuyasha almost seemed pleased when he said this, and though there was no smile on his face, there was a sort of sparkle to his eyes, and I smiled at him once more.

Luckily, my showering at home passed with no perverted incidents, and Inuyasha was patient for the most part (he only gave me a few comments about how I needed to "stop prissin' and c'mon!") and then we could head out to his lesson.

Inuyasha drove us to a dojo on the complete other side of town, and I found myself anxious to see his performance. I hadn't ever really had a chance to witness how strong Inuyasha really was, and I wanted this chance. Of course, he'd saved me from Leonard, but he hadn't really had to use much force to do so. So this would be a better chance.

"Just promise me that if I really let go you ain't gonna go cryin because it's too much." Inuyasha commented, as he parked in front of the dojo.

"As if." I assured him. "I'm a lot tougher than your average girl. So let's see how tough you are."

"Hmph!" Inuyasha offered me a have grin, displaying his fangs, and I grinned back. We headed into the dojo together, and once inside, I stood by the door, not wanting to disturb anything. There was no one in the dojo except an old man with long white hair pulled back in a ponytail, wearing a striped black and green kimono. He looked surprised to see Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha? I told you to take the weekend off." the man was busy sweeping the plain wooden floors of the dojo, and he paused in his sweeping to examine us.

"I know. But I wanted to come by and practice some, jiji." Inuyasha grunted when I elbowed him for the rude term, and shot me a glare before returning his attention to the old man. "So, whaddya say?"

The old man sighed. "Well, these old bones can't take much more abuse from you, Inuyasha, but I suppose I should be happy that you're so dedicated. Let me just grab my sword, and you can head out back. Tetsusaiga is stored in the back room where you left it. I polished it up for you."

"Thanks Totosai." Inuyasha grinned as he turned to the right and headed through a door, while Totosai paused and looked at me.

"Are you Kagome?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah. How did you know?" I asked in return, surprised.

"Inuyasha mentioned you the other day when he came to help me clean the dojo. You were all he was talking about." Totosai replied. I felt a blush come over me. _He __was __talking __about __me__? __We __only __just __met __a __few __days __ago__. __And __he __was __already __talking __about __me__? __Maybe __Inuyasha __sees __more __than __just __Kikyo __when __he __looks __at __me__ . . . _I thought.

"Young lady, please be careful with Inuyasha's feelings." Totosai said suddenly. "I give him a hard time, but after what he went through with Kikyo . . . it would be terrible if he were to experience more tragedy and pain."

"Yes, sensei." I bowed to him, because it just seemed appropriate.

"Hmm . . . well, I think you'll be fine, just fine." Totosai muttered mysteriously as he tottered into the room after Inuyasha. "Kagome, you can head through the door straight across from you into the back!" he called.

I followed his instructions, sliding open the large door, and seeing it revealed a large backyard with gray boulders outlining most of it. It was just a wide open space, and there was a small pond, no undoubtedly to freshen up after long battles.

Totosai joined me after a few minutes, and he was carrying a thin, but strong blade in his hands. He went to stand in the middle of the yard, and stuck the point of his blade in the dirt, leaning on it as support. "Miss Kagome, I advise you stay on those steps during the match. Inuyasha tends to get enthusiastic when he spars."

"Why am I not surprised?" I muttered sarcastically.

The sliding door behind me suddenly slammed open, and Inuyasha came rushing out, and in one great leap, he bounded over my head and landed in front of Totosai, wielding a huge, magnificent blade in his hands. The blade was nearly longer than Inuyasha itself, and it was wide. It had to weigh a ton, and there was a large tuft of white fur about the hilt.

"All right old man, are you ready to be taken down?" Inuyasha asked cockily, his fangs exposed as he was grinning like a mad man in the anticipation of a fight. He had no shirt on, and wore red pants that tied at his waist. He was barefoot as well. It also didn't escape my notice that he looked rather sexy as he was at the moment, arrogant and ready to fight.

Totosai merely shook his head. "Don't count your chickens before they hatch, Inuyasha. Prepare yourself."

"Hah!" Inuyasha bent his knees and I could see his body tense.

Totosai was the first to strike. He brought his blade up and over his head in a wide arc, and brought it down toward Inuyasha. Inuyasha was quick to counter, mirroring Totosai's movement, so their swords met with a giant _clang__. _Inuyasha grunted and shoved back against Totosai, and sent the old man skidding back merely a step before Totosai lunged in again, and went for Inuyasha's rib cage with his blade. Inuyasha quickly dodged the attack and sidestepped around to Totosai's backside, and made a slash at Totosai's neck. I gasped, because I was sure Totosai was about to lose his head, but was shocked when Totosai ducked and the blade missed him by inches.

"If you're actually trying to kill me that's the way to do it!" Totosai cried.

"Don't be a baby!" Inuyasha snarled as their swords clashed again.

"Respect your sensei, hanyou!" Totosai smacked the flat of his blade against Tetsusaiga, and I watched in amazement as Tetsusaiga was smacked right from Inuyasha's hands, and it skidded across the ground. Totosai's fist slammed into Inuyasha's jaw, and Inuyasha hit the ground hard after his blade.

"Hey, that's dirty!" Inuyasha complained angrily as he ran and snatched up his blade before facing Totosai once more.

"That will teach you to be cocky!" Totosai retorted as he blocked a stab from Inuyasha.

Inuyasha growled in anger, and raised his sword high above his head. He brought it swinging down, and I thought, _What__'__s __he __doing__? __He__'__s __too __far __away __to __even __hit __Totosai__, _until I heard him begin to yell, "WIND SCA-"

My eyes widened when Totosai puffed up his cheeks and suddenly a whirlwind of flames issued from his mouth and billowed toward Inuyasha. Inuyasha stopped midswing and barely managed to somersault out of the way. "What's the big idea?" Inuyasha demanded, as the flames that had caught fire on the grass flickered about.

Totosai began to stomp out the various small patches of flames. "You know better than to use the wind scar in the presence of a human, Inuyasha. Also, that attack is far too dangerous to be used here. You'd ruin my trees."

"Ugh." Inuyasha hoisted his sword up on his shoulder. "You're just mad 'cause you know you can't defeat the wind scar."

"I wouldn't say that." Totosai replied, and it appeared the two were done, for neither were fighting anymore.

"What's the wind scar?" I asked, and both turned their attention to me.

"It's a devastating attack that can be issued by the Tetsusaiga, rumored to be able to kill a hundred demons at once." Totosai explained. "Inuyasha has barely even managed to tap into the power of the wind scar, and he's only used it successfully once. I took him out to a huge field and let him practice it until he got it. But I won't let him use it here, though he tries nearly every sparring match." _Wow__ . . . _I thought, trying to imagine such devastating power.

"And you're a youkai?" I asked, as an afterthought, remembering the flames.

"Yes. Not a terribly powerful one, but yes, I am." Totosai replied. I paused a moment to really examine him. He just looked like an ordinary old man, except that his eyes were on the large side. Otherwise, he looked just like any other human. _But __appearances __are __deceiving __in __this __world__. _I thought.

"Well, I woulda done the wind scar just fine if you hadn't stopped me." Inuyasha bragged as he walked to join me on the steps.

Totosai sighed. "Perhaps. Either way, I'm done sparring with you for the day."

"I just barely got started!" Inuyasha complained.

"Well, I didn't give you this day off just for you. I wanted to relax too, you know." Totosai chided, as he led us both back inside the dojo. "It would be good for you to take a break from sparring, Inuyasha. It's all you've done lately."

Inuyasha glared at Totosai. "Yeah yeah, whatever. Next week, I wanna go back out to that field. I want to master the wind scar. And if the Tetsusaiga can perform something that powerful, it's gotta have other stuff I can learn too."

"Don't get ahead of yourself. Go put your sword up and change, and take this young lady out of here. I'm sure she's got better things to do than watch you swing around a sword." Totosai replied simply, and he picked up his broom from where he'd left it and resumed sweeping.

"So, the sword is magical?" I asked Totosai as Inuyasha retired back to the store room.

"Well, having been made from the fang of a great dog demon, it's not exactly surprising." Totosai replied. "Inuyasha is a direct descendant from that demon on his father's side. He is extremely powerful, even if he's only half demon."

"Directly?" I asked softly. "So . . . I know his father is dead, but . . . what about his mother?"  
"Izayoi." Totosai replied, just as softly. "She was a human. Beautiful, and gentle. Inuyasha doesn't speak of her much, so there's not much I can tell you. Myoga, Inuyasha's butler, could tell you more."

"She died a long time ago."

I turned at the voice, startled, seeing Inuyasha standing in the doorway, scowling and dressed once more, staring at us. "Inuyasha . . ." I started.

"I don't want to talk about it." he said flatly. "Let's go, Kagome, so this old man can get back to his cleaning."  
"Ok. Thank you for letting me watch your match, sensei. Bye, Totosai." I said, as Inuyasha and I headed for the door.

"Good-bye, Kagome. Inuyasha, you behave."

"Feh!" was Inuyasha's only reply as we left the dojo.

"So where to next Kagome?" Inuyasha asked me as we climbed into his red car.

"Well, it's around lunchtime." I replied, checking my watch.

"Then we'll just go out. Where do you want to eat?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I don't have any money to spend, Inuyasha." I chided. "Just take me back to my dorm."

"You don't have to pay for it, stupid. Don't _you_be ridiculous, Kagome. I've got plenty of money." he argued.

"No, that feels too much like a date." I ignored his flushed face as he started sputtering in protest, and tapped my chin thoughtfully. "I could cook for you, if you like. I'm studying to be a chef." I offered, feeling a trickle of excitement at making Inuyasha smile with my cooking.

"I don't know if I trust your cookin'." He muttered. "You might try to poison me."

"Oh, you're so ridiculous." I sighed. "I can cook well." I insisted. "Let me cook for you."

"Fine. But if I get sick, you're gonna pay."

True to my word, when we arrived back at my dorm, I entered the kitchen and began bustling about with pots and pans. I decided I'd stick with something simple, like chop suey. I didn't want to go too extravagant and scare Inuyasha away from my cooking. Besides, I didn't know if he was picky or not.

Inuyasha was busy scrutinizing every inch of my dorm home. "Everything here is cheap . . ." He muttered. "Kagome, you're really poor, aren't you?"

I felt my heart drop a little at the statement, but forced myself not to be affected by it. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't insult my things."

"I wasn't! I just . . ." Inuyasha actually sounded guilty. "Havin' so much money all the time . . . I dunno. I guess I don't really appreciate it. And seeing how you manage . . . it makes me feel bad." He admitted.

I was shocked. I turned from the stove to face Inuyasha, who was standing in the kitchen doorway, watching me. "Don't worry about it. I've worked for what I have, and I'm happy with it. I don't need a lot of money to be happy."  
Instead of reassuring him like I thought it would, it just seemed to make him feel worse. Inuyasha's ears lowered a little, and I felt bad for him then. "It's still not good. If you were my woman, I'd make sure you had everything you wanted."

I blushed at his statement. "Is that what you did for Kikyo? Did you spoil her?"

Inuyasha snorted. "As if. She wouldn't let me." He crossed his arms and leaned against the archway. "No, I tried. She was just too proud to accept it. She was like you in that, actually. She liked to work for what she had."

I smiled at the thought. "Kikyo sounded wonderful. Say, Inuyasha?"

"What is it?"

"Where is she buried? I'd like to pay my respects to her." I answered, turning back to the stove, but not before I saw his expression of shock.

"Kagome, you don't gotta do that-"

"But I want to. She was important to you. And I really would have liked to know her. And she . . . passed on prematurely. So, I feel like I need to do that." I explained.

"She's buried behind the university. There's a small cemetery behind the unversity named Shikon no Tama Cemetery. You'll find her grave there." Inuyasha answered quietly.

"Thanks Inuyasha." I gave him a gentle smile over my shoulder. I glanced back down at the contents frying on the stove. I clapped my hands together and announced happily, "It's ready! Want some?"

"Smells good." Inuyasha praised as he came over. I grabbed a plate and placed a hearty portion on it, and laid chopsticks on top.

"Here you go!" I sang, and danced over to the table, setting his plate down. "Do you want water to drink or tea?"

"Uh, tea's fine. Listen, Kagome-" he started as I twirled to the fridge. Cooking always put me in a good mood.

"There!" I set a glass of tea down in front of him, and waited eagerly for him to try my chop suey. "Go on, try it!"

"All right." Inuyasha glanced down apprehensively, before he took a bite. He chewed, and I watched his expression change to one of amazement. "Wow, this is great! You're a really good cook, Kagome."

I beamed and flushed with pleasure. "Thanks." I fixed my own plate and sat down across from him, and dug in.

"So, I've had fun today." I commented shyly, after we ate in silence for a few minutes.

"Really? 'Cause you seemed pretty mad this morning." Inuyasha reminded me skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, what girl wouldn't be, waking up in a situation like that?" I countered. "No, I'll forgive you for that. It could have been worse. I could have woken up beside Leonard."

At the mention of Leonard, Inuyasha's ears twitched and he growled. "Don't talk like that Kagome."

"Jealous?" I teased.

He flushed. "Don't make me laugh."

I rolled my eyes and continued eating. "Yeah yeah. So how long have you been training with Totosai? You looked good out there." I said honestly, and it was true. Inuyasha had looked strong, sexy, and confident. I had no doubt he could have won against Totosai given a few more minutes to duel.

"Couple years now."

"Do you ever enter into tournaments?" I asked curiously.

"Uh, kinda. I win most of 'em. But Totosai doesn't approve of tournaments. He says tournaments don't make you a master. But I say why not? Beating your opponent, isn't that the point?" Inuyasha replied, waving his chop sticks to emphasize his point.

I smiled at him. Something about him just drew me to him without a doubt. I wasn't sure if it was the slight rough, sexy tone of his voice, or the way his eyes shone when he talked to me, but it was something about him that was irresistible.

"What are you all smiling about?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously. "Are you even listenin' Kagome?"

"So why are you even hanging out with me today, anyway?" I asked suddenly. "I thought you didn't like me."

"Feh. I don't like anyone. I hardly like Miroku. I just keep him around . . ." Inuyasha poked at his food absently.

I watched him poke his food around. "Well, I think he's quite fond of you. He says you're his best friend."

Inuyasha's ears twitched a little at that. "He said that?"

"Yep." I confirmed, smiling when Inuyasha actually looked a little pleased at that.

I opened my mouth to say something else, but I was interrupted by my cellphone ringing from my bedroom. "I'll be right back." I promised Inuyasha, as I stood up and headed for my room.

I picked up my phone from where it rested on my nightstand beside my bed and answered it. "Hello?"

"Why hello, Kagome. I was just calling to see how your first week of college is going."

"Oh, hi mama." I was genuinely pleased to hear her voice. "It's going well enough."

"Made any new friends?"

"A few. Miroku, Sango, and Inuyasha." I replied, sitting down on my bed and curling my legs underneath me.

"Well, tell me about them!"

"Well, Miroku is a bit of a pervert, but he's a really great guy and he doesn't mean any harm by it. And Sango is pretty much already my best friend. She's beautiful and smart and fun. I wouldn't have survived the first week without them." I laughed. "And Inuyasha, well . . . me and him didn't get off to the best start, but we're doing better now. We're actually hanging out."

"Oh . . . do you like this boy Kagome?"

"Mama!" I felt myself flush. I wasn't entirely sure of my feelings about Inuyasha yet myself. I was attracted to him, sure. But did I like him? That I wasn't so sure of. "We only met a few days ago. It's too early for that."

"It's never too early to like someone." My mother corrected me.

I glanced up as Inuyasha peeked into my room. I waved him inside, and he came to sit beside me on the bed. "Well, I think it is. We're still getting to know each other." I commented.

Inuyasha cocked his head curiously to the side, and with the dog ears and earnest look, he looked adorable. "Are you talking about me?" He asked, and then his expression turned suspicious.

My mother giggled. "Was that this Inuyasha? You should let me talk to him, Kagome."

Inuyasha obviously had super-human hearing, for he said, "She wants to talk to me?"

"_No_, you're not talking to him, because you'll try to embarrass me." I told her.

"C'mon, Kagome, lemme talk to her!" Inuyasha insisted, and reached for the phone. I tried to duck away from him, but his claws snatched the phone from my grasp.

"Yes, this is him." Inuyasha paused and listened for a moment. Then his face suddenly turned red. "What! I-I dunno! What kinda question is that, anyway?"

"What did she ask you?" I asked desperately. Inuyasha ignored me.

"Yeah, she can cook." Inuyasha said. "Nope. Chop suey. Uh-huh. Mmm . . . I'll keep that in mind. I know, I know. Ok, sure. Here." He handed the phone back to me.

"Mama! What did you ask him?" I demanded.

"Oh nothing. Just some stuff." My mother sang, obviously pleased with herself. I fumed silently, and refused to look at Inuyasha.

"Well, as I do have a guest, we'll have to pick up this conversation later. I'll call you later." I said.

"All right! Well, you have fun with Inuyasha there. And behave, Kagome! I love you."

"Love you too." I mumbled.

"Bye bye."

"Bye." I hung up, and turned my glare to Inuyasha. "What did she ask you?" I demanded.

"Nothin' important." he sidestepped easily. "But, I got some stuff I gotta take care of today, so I'm gonna have to hit the road. Thanks for cookin' Kagome."

"Oh no you don't! You're going to tell me what she asked you!" I ordered as he stood up and started for my front door.

"If it was meant for you to hear you woulda heard it!" Inuyasha replied stubbornly, and opened my front door. "I'll see ya later, Kagome."

"Argh!" I stamped my foot in frustration as the door closed after him. I heard the rumble of his car engine a few moments later, and I stormed back to my room, aggravated beyond belief.

I carried a small bouquet of white lilies in my hands as I walked slowly through the cemetery. It was peaceful and still, and later in the evening after Inuyasha had left my dorm. I had decided I'd go ahead and find Kikyo's grave.

I had checked gravestones for a while before I finally located Kikyo's grave. I sat down in front of it, and curled my legs up underneath me. I laid the white lilies down, and took a deep breath.

I laid my hand on the gravestone, feeling the coldness of it against my palm, and sighed. "Kikyo . . ." I whispered softly.

"Did you come to pay your respects?"

I jumped, and looked over my shoulder. A girl stood there, around my age, perhaps a little older, and I noticed right away she looked a lot like me. Her hair was black and long, but it was straight, and her eyes were brown. She was very beautiful. She wore a white, lacy long sleeved shirt, and and a red skirt with a red sash around her waist. Her hair was pulled into a low ponytail at the base of her neck.

"Yeah, I guess I did." I replied, glancing back down at the gravestone. "How about you?"

"I guess you could say that." her voice was gentle and soft, and she came to sit down beside me.

"So did you know Kikyo?" I asked the girl, after a moment. The wind gently blew our hair.

"I guess you could say that as well." she replied, after a moment. Her pale hands were folded delicately in her lap.

"I didn't know her." I admitted. "I've heard a lot about her, though . . . I wish I could have known her."

"And despite not knowing her, you come to pay your respects?" the girl sounded surprised.

"All the things I've heard about her are good. And I think it was unfair, that she lost her life. She loved Inuyasha, and because she was human, she had her life taken from her . . ." I looked down, and the sadness built up inside me. "No one deserves that. She fell in love and was punished for it. That's never fair."

"I suppose not . . ." the girl whispered, and when I looked at her, she looked so very, very sad. It pulled at my heart, and I didn't know why. "You . . . you know Inuyasha personally?"

"I only just met him a few days ago." I admitted. "And I've learned some about Kikyo from him."

"Does he . . . talk about her?"

"Yes, but, not so much out loud. But he's constantly thinking of her. It's written all over everything he does." I said honestly. "I can tell he misses her so much . . . I wonder, wherever Kikyo is now, if she misses him too . . ."  
"I'm sure she does . . . I'm sure she loves him with all her heart." the girl whispered, and her hand was clasped to her chest.

I smiled gently at her. "So, how do you know Kikyo?"

It was her turn to smile at me, but it was sad. "Let's just say I know a lot about her."

"What was it like, being close to her?" I asked softly.  
"I can't really say. You'd have to judge it for yourself." she replied.

"To be honest, everyone tells me I look exactly like Kikyo . . . and that's the only reason Inuyasha pays any attention to me. And I'm sure that it's true." I admitted, after a moment. I didn't know why I was being so honest with this girl, but I felt as if I could be, for some reason. "I wonder when it will be he'll be able to tell the difference between us. It's not that there's anything wrong with Kikyo; I can't judge that because I didn't know her. But I'm different from her."

"Yes, you are." the girl agreed after a moment. "You seem . . . stronger."

"Stronger?" I looked at her curiously.  
"Kikyo could have been so much stronger than she was. Perhaps then she might have been able to prevent her death." she explained, and her voice was once more filled with helpless melancholy.

I felt my brow furrow. "What do you mean?"

"It's just my wishful thinking, I suppose." She seemed to be talking more to herself than me, as she turned her head away. "I shouldn't deceive you any longer."

"Deceive me?" My mind was completely puzzled, and the girl finally looked back at me.

"I am Kikyo." she said softly.

**A ****whole ****other ****chapter ****full ****of ****Inuyasha ****and ****Kagome ****fluff****! ****Sort ****of**** . . . ****well****, ****either ****way****, ****let ****me ****know ****what ****you ****think****. ****If ****their ****relationship ****is ****developing ****nicely****, ****badly****, ****etc****. ****Also****, ****I ****really ****hope ****I****'****m ****staying ****true ****to ****the ****characters****. ****I****'****m ****aware****, ****as ****well****, ****that ****Tetsusaiga ****in ****modern ****times ****is ****a ****little ****out ****of ****place****, ****but ****I ****just ****had ****to ****include ****it****. **

**What ****do ****you ****think ****of ****Kikyo****'****s ****appearance****?**

**Let ****me ****know ****what ****you ****think ****in ****a ****review ****please****! :****D**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five

_ "__It __was __as __if __despite __the __fact __that __he __once __loved __Kikyo__, __I __was __still __fighting __for __his __attention__. __I __hoped __there __could __be __a __place __for __me __in __his __heart__, __that __it __hadn__'__t __all __been __taken __up__. __I __didn__'__t __want __to __push __and __shove __my __way __inside__ . . . __I __could __only __pray __there __was __still __room __for __me__." _

_Kagome __Higurashi_

"You're . . . Kikyo? But that's impossible!" I protested. "She . . . she died!"

Kikyo looked away. "I know it's hard to accept, but, it is me. And . . . I am dead." she looked down at her folded hands. "I haven't been able to rest in peace . . . my spirit is too betrayed, too hurt to accept what happened to me . . . so it lingers, and I linger. However, this is the first time I have been able to appear before someone . . . I haven't been this strong before. I've only been able to observe, though, it was as if in a daze, so I hardly recognize anyone who visits this grave."

"That's . . . terrible . . ." I whispered. I reached out to her, and gasped when my hand passed right through her shoulder. Kikyo glanced at me, and the sadness in her eyes made my heart wrench. I felt my eyes fill with unshed tears. "Kikyo . . . I'm so sorry . . ."

Her eyes closed, and tears slipped down her perfect face. "Do not apologize to me. For it wasn't you who was the cause of all this."

"But . . . why can you appear to me?" I whispered.

"I sense something in you . . . strong, spiritual energy. It was the same that I possessed in life. Perhaps, we are bonded in spirit somehow? There are legends that are told of beings who are connected through strong spiritual bonds, almost like they are each other's reincarnations." Kikyo explained. "So, to put it simply . . . we are . . . the same, yet not the same."

"So . . . you're me? We share our souls?"

"In a way of speaking, that would be the explanation." Kikyo agreed. She reached out toward me, and when her fingers grazed my arm, instead of passing through me, her fingers gained solidity, and I felt her skin against mine, yet it was cold. Kikyo closed her eyes. "I can draw strength from your spirit, just by being close to you. But . . . I could hurt you trying this." she pulled away.

"Kikyo . . . what happened to you? How did you die?" I asked her, because I needed to know. I wanted to help her. Something inside me yearned to aid the poor young woman.

"I don't know . . . It was no accident, however. I was asleep, in my bed, when someone picked me up, and threw me out my window. I did not have a chance to see who it was. But it was a man. I could tell from the shape and the way he threw me." Kikyo sighed. "I was barely alive when Inuyasha reached me, but when he did, it was too late, and I passed on.

"I didn't regain any sense of anything until a few days later. I realized that I was passed on, but that my spirit had not passed on like my body. And I've been here ever since, wondering what must take place for me to be at peace." Kikyo concluded softly.

"Maybe . . . for your murder to be avenged." I suggested.

Kikyo met my eyes. "I hate that this human emotion still overtakes me, but I do desire revenge. It is what keeps my spirit here, and I'm sure of it. And also . . . the love I have for Inuyasha. I . . . cannot seem to let him go." she admitted.

Suddenly, I felt extremely guilty. What business did I have, getting close to Inuyasha, after what had happened with Kikyo? It was wrong, to do what I was doing, and wish Inuyasha could see me without seeing her.

"Kikyo . . ." I said quietly, "would you like to see Inuyasha again?"

A small noise escaped her throat, and tears spilled down her face once more as she clasped her hands to her chest. She was trembling slightly, and she looked so frail and delicate. "I . . . I would."

I felt pain rip through me, but I knew she deserved it, and something I was able to give her, I wanted to give her. After what had happened to her, it would be wrong to withhold something like this from her. "Then . . . then I'll bring him here."

"You . . . you would do this for me?" She looked at me, and her eyes were shining. "Who are you, to show such kindness?"

"My name is Kagome. And it's not kindness." I shook my head. "It's what I know I have to do. I can't withhold this from you."

"Kagome, how do you feel . . . about Inuyasha?" Kikyo asked me, and I knew this was the trying moment, the moment that would decide the nature of our relationship. It all depended on my answer.

"I . . ." I couldn't look her in the eyes when I answered. "I care about him. More than I have any other boy before." I whispered. "But . . . there is a bond between you and Inuyasha that I can never break. And . . . I want to give this to you. Because you love him, and he loves you."

"You would do this, knowing how it will hurt you?"

"Yes." I answered, determined, as I looked into her eyes again.

Kikyo smiled gently at me. "Thank you, Kagome."

"When . . . when do you want to see him?" I had to look away again, because my heart was hurting inside. I didn't want to show it to her, because I didn't want to make her feel guilty for something she didn't need to feel guilty for.

"Bring him . . . on the night of the solstice." Kikyo looked up at the sky. "They say the time of the winter solstice is when the line between the spirit world and the real world is thinnest. I will be stronger then, and it will not harm you then if I am to touch him using you."

_What __exactly __is __she __planning __with __him__? _I thought, but didn't question her. "That's only a couple days away."

"And I can gather my strength until then." Kikyo looked at me. "Kagome, you are kind, and self sacrificing. Perhaps you and I are not so different." she smiled at me.

I found I could smile back, despite the pain in my chest. "Perhaps not."

"Then go, Kagome, but do not tell Inuyasha of this meeting. I would prefer to see his reaction on that day . . . so that I will know his reaction is real." Kikyo said softly.

"I won't." I promised her, and rose from the grass. "I'll bring him at night, so you two won't be bothered by anyone, and you won't be seen."

"Thank you Kagome." Kikyo said again, softly, and I watched with amazement as she vanished into thin air from my sight.

Monday morning as I was about to head out for my classes, I heard a knock on my door. I paused in brushing my hair, and called, "Just a minute!" as I set my brush down and finished adjusting my blue sundress. It was winter, yes, but the weather was still warm enough so I could wear this dress. It was usually pretty warm around here, no matter the season.

I opened the door, and felt my eyebrows lift as I was met with a small bouquet of flowers. They were some type of purple flower, and the fragrance coming off them was wonderful. I looked behind the flowers, seeing Inuyasha standing there proffering them to me with his ears slightly lowered, a blush on his face.

"Inuyasha?" I asked, taken aback. "If you were Miroku, this would make more sense. But you? Since when would you get me flowers?"

"If you don't like 'em just say so! This was stupid anyway!" he looked away from me, and I gathered that even despite his harsh words, I'd hurt his feelings.  
"No, I love them." I reassured him. "They're lovely." I took them from him, and smelled them, and then smiled at Inuyasha. "It's just strange. I didn't expect you to get me flowers."

"Well, uh, it was a . . . spur of the moment thing." he admitted, still looking a little embarrassed, but nevertheless, content I'd accepted the flowers.

"I'll just put these in some water." I disappeared back into the dorm and Inuyasha followed after me. I was blushing, truthfully, because I'd never had a romantic gesture from a boy before. And the fact that Inuyasha had done something like get me flowers was both romantic and surprising all in one. My heart was pounding a little.

But then I caught myself. _You __can__'__t __do __this__, __Kagome__. __After __yesterday __with __Kikyo__, __you __can__'__t __do __this__. _I sighed, depressed, as I found a vase for the flowers and filled it with water before placing them within.

"So, why did you get them for me?" I asked Inuyasha, as we left my house and started down the sidewalk toward the university.

"Well, I . . . uh . . . had a good time, yesterday, with ya." he was blushing again, and I sensed, somehow, that this was all new to him, being so open with his feelings about someone. "So . . . I asked Miroku about it. And . . . he said flowers was a good idea."

_Well__, __it __wasn__'__t __his __idea__, __but __at __least __he __tried__. _I thought. I had to give him some sort of credit. "Well, they were pretty. Thank you Inuyasha." Before I could stop myself, I reached down, and my hand wrapped around his.

"Er . . . it was nothin'." Inuyasha rubbed the back of his head, obviously embarrassed, but didn't pull his other hand away from mine.

But I forced myself to pull my hand away from his, because I knew that it was wrong to do this. I sighed again. _Why __did __I __have __to __come __across __Inuyasha __if __I __can__'__t __even __have __him__? __Was __I __meant __to __meet __him__, __just __to __feel __for __him __and __not __have __him__? __Or __will __I __have __him __in __time __to __come__? _There were so many different questions spinning around in my head, and I had answers to none of them. It was all so very confusing.

"So . . . I was thinking . . . maybe I can cook dinner for you again tonight. And Sango and Miroku can come over too and we can all have a movie night?" I suggested, as we walked.

"Uh, sure. Sounds good."

"Good, then I'll let them all know!" I said, cheerful at the thought. _But __you __still __have __to __convince __him __to __come __to __the __cemetery __on __the __winter __solstice__. __So __maybe __hanging __around __him __and __getting __closer __to __him __until __then __isn__'__t __a __good __idea__, __especially __since __you__'__ll __have __to __see __him __and __Kikyo __together __tomorrow __night__ . . ._

I slapped the thought away. _No__. __Just __because __Kikyo __was __in __love __with __Inuyasha __and __he __with __her __doesn__'__t __mean __that __I __can__'__t __be __his __friend__. __I __don__'__t __have __to __give __him __up __completely__. __He __doesn__'__t __belong __to __her__, __and __she __doesn__'__t __belong __to __him__ . . . __so__ . . . __I __have __that __right__. _I reassured myself.

"What are ya thinkin', Kagome?" Inuyasha asked me, and I realized I had been staring blankly off into space.

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all." I laughed nervously, and Inuyasha's brow furrowed at my fake tinkling laugh. "Just thinking of something."

"And that would be . . .?"

"I said nothing!" I said a little sharply, and he recoiled slightly, eyes wide, before he glared at me.

"Well ya don't gotta be so snappy about it!" He snapped.

"Sorry." I muttered, as we entered the university. I spotted Sango not far away, standing with Miroku, and headed over.

Sango pounced on me the minute I reached her. "Kagome! I haven't heard a thing from you ever since you left with Inuyasha on Saturday night! And you were at his _house_! You need to tell me what happened right now."

"Well, not here." I took her arm and waved to Inuyasha and Miroku as I dragged her into our first class.

When we sat down at our usual seat in the back, I started to explain. "There was a youkai named Leonard who basically tried to assault me at the club and Inuyasha saved me from him. And Inuyasha was being overly protective and practically dragged me to his house."

I regaled the rest of the tale to her, including what had happened in Inuyasha's bed, and Sango made all the appropriate reactions and gasped in the right spots.

"I can't believe he dragged you into his bed like that! But . . . the flowers were sweet. Hmph, you'd think that Miroku could take a piece of his own advice and get _me _some flowers. If he's gonna put the moves on me he can at least throw some romance in with flowers." Sango muttered.

I laughed. "Give him time. He'll get around to it on his own. Or I can drop a hint."

"Oh no no no! I'm not interested in him or anything!" A fierce blush overtook her face. "I-I was just simply saying!"

"So, what happened with you guys on Saturday?" I could tell by Sango's red face that it had to be good.

"Ugh, the lecherous bastard . . . he danced with me, but tried to kiss me afterwards, and groped me! Can you believe it? The nerve . . . But he did take me out to dinner on Sunday evening. It was actually pretty romantic. And he only groped me once, so . . . he's getting better." Sango explained, and there was a slight smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eye. I smiled.

"Well, I'm happy for you two. I don't know if I'd consider everything that happened with Inuyasha yesterday a date, but . . ." I blushed slowly. "It was fun. And sort of romantic, in it's own weird way."

"I think it's sweet." Sango encouraged. "And I think Inuyasha likes you."

"Tch. Don't be ridiculous." I chided, but I blushed and my heart pounded at the thought.

"I think you _want _him to like you." Sango persisted, elbowing me and wiggling her eyebrows.

"N-no! I d-don't know what you're talking ab-bout!" I stammered, avoiding her gaze at all costs.

_Kikyo__ . . . _A small voice in my head whispered, and immediately, my blush faded and I felt that rush of guilt that was becoming familiar. "But . . . there's something else I have to tell you, Sango." I said quietly.

"What's that?"

Now, if we lived in a day and age where demons didn't exist, if I had told Sango I'd encountered the ghost of Kikyo she would have looked at me like I'd grown a second head. Fortunately however, since demons were real, when I explained to her what had happened, she seemed far more accepting of it, and willing to believe me.

"It seems so strange, but at the same time, it would make sense. Often when a spirit dies tragically like that it doesn't find peace." Sango commented. "How can you? She was murdered, after all, and we know for sure now."

"I just . . . I don't know how Inuyasha is going to react when I bring him to her." I said softly. "I don't know how _I__'__m _going to react."

"Well, here's something you have to remember, Kagome . . ." Sango spoke slowly, and I could tell she was choosing her words carefully. "Even if Kikyo came along first, it's ok to feel that pain and jealously, and it's normal. It's wrong when it controls you. But I think you're wise and strong enough to keep from letting it do that to you."

I smiled at her. "Thanks, Sango. Like I said, I just don't know what I'm going to do. But . . . I want to do this for them. They deserve it."

"I think it's very kind of you, Kagome." Sango said softly. "You're very self sacrificing, and that's more than most people could ever ask for."

"I just hope Inuyasha will be happy." I whispered, more to myself than anything else.

After my first class, I walked with Miroku to my second class and explained to him everything that had happened as well, because he wanted to know, and even managed to drop a hint that getting Sango flowers was a good idea. He seemed to take my hint with good grace, and seemed to be considering it when he walked off.

I sat beside Inuyasha in class, and though we didn't talk, I would catch him occasionally looking at me, and he would catch me looking at him. We would blush whenever we were caught, but this little game continued until I had to use the bathroom and asked the teacher to excuse me.

I was thinking of Kikyo as I walked down the hall to the bathroom, and I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn't hear the footsteps coming up close behind me. I felt a hand land on my shoulder suddenly and screamed, whirling around and flailing at whatever had grabbed me.

"I'm sorry I startled you!" a young man was behind me, and I stopped flailing, embarrassed at my over reaction. He was handsome, but there was almost a cruel twist to his mouth, and his eyes were crimson, like blood. His hair was black and wavy, and very long. He had a slight smile to his lips as he watched me, as if he were constantly aware of something that you weren't.

"Oh, it's ok." I laughed nervously. "You just scared me, is all."

"I thought you were someone else I know." he replied. "You look much like Kikyo. You'll have to forgive me, Miss . . . ?"

"Higurashi. But you can just call me Kagome."

"Well, Miss Higurashi, you can call me Naraku." he smiled slightly, again, like he knew a secret that I didn't. For some reason, I felt uneasy around him, and I didn't want to stand close to him. There was something inside me, some hidden instinct, whispering that I not trust him.

"Everyone tells me that I resemble Kikyo, but nope, I'm just ordinary old Kagome." I laughed again, and the laugh sounded a little scared, to my ears. I was rambling, but inside, I was hoping desperately to leave. I didn't like this man, not one bit.

"There is nothing about you that is ordinary, Miss Higurashi. Please do not insult yourself that way." Naraku lifted an elegant black brow. "You resemble Kikyo so strongly, yet, there is a difference between you two that makes it so easy to tell you apart."

"Most people look at me and see her." I admitted, surprised he thought that way.

"Oh no, I could never mistake you for her now that I've actually had the chance to meet you. No, not at all." Naraku replied smoothly. I felt myself slowly beginning to relax. Perhaps he wasn't as bad as I thought. "You are as lovely as she was, perhaps even lovelier."

"You knew Kikyo personally?" I asked, curious.

"Oh yes, quite well, actually. I was her friend, when she was still alive. It saddened me when she died." Naraku looked away, and his smile was gone.

"Everyone seems to miss her a lot." I replied softly. "I'm sorry you lost your friend, Naraku."

"I've seen you around Inuyasha. Do you care for him as Kikyo did?" Naraku asked, and I was surprised by his bluntness.

"Oh, him? Eh hehehe . . ." I waved my hand nervously. "Oh no, of course not. Why would I . . . like Inuyasha . . ."

I had a feeling my argument wasn't too convincing, because Naraku simply smiled, and once more, I was met with that unsettling feeling. "Well, I'm glad to hear it. Inuyasha wasn't the best of boyfriends to Kikyo, I'm afraid. She would often come to me and complain of her relationship, that there was something lacking . . ." Naraku commented.

I felt my brow furrow. _Inuyasha__? __That __doesn__'__t __sound __like __him__ . . . __I __mean__, __sure__, __he __can __be __a __real __jerk __sometimes__, __but __he __can __also __be __very __sweet_. "I'm surprised. Inuyasha seems very sweet when he tries." I decided to defend him. I didn't know Inuyasha that well yet, but I knew that from what I'd seen he seemed like a genuine, good friend for the most part.

"Appearances are very deceiving. You want to make a judgment based on only a few days' knowledge?" I blushed as Naraku called me out on it. "Be my guest. However, if you do plan on following in Kikyo's footsteps . . . be prepared . . ." Naraku gave me one last cool, icy smile, and turned, soon disappearing around the corner.

I didn't even realize I was trembling slightly until he was gone. _Man__, __that __guy __was __creepy__! __I __should __ask __Inuyasha __about __him__ . . . __see __what __his __deal __is__. __It__'__s __probably __a __good __idea__._

When I returned to class, I took my seat beside Inuyasha, and it was as if he immediately sensed something was wrong, for he audibly (albeit quietly) sniffed the air and then stiffened beside me.

I jumped a little when I felt his hand on mine beneath the desk, his claws scraping my fingertips gently. "You're scared." he whispered, but I heard him.

I blushed a little from the intimate gesture. "It's ok. I'm fine."

He growled a little. "No, Kagome. If somethin's scared you, it is not fine. Tell me."

"I will." I promised, cautious because the teacher was looking our way. "Later."

He let out an aggravated breath of air, but his hand moved from mine and he silenced, to my relief. I looked at him and met his eyes, and I knew he wasn't going to let this go.

The minute we were out of the classroom, Inuyasha attacked me. "Tell me what scared you, Kagome." he ordered.

I sighed. "It was . . . Naraku."

Inuyasha froze, and then I saw something close to rage flash in his eyes. "That bastard! I should have known he would find some way to get involved with you."

"I take it you two aren't friends." I said dryly. Inuyasha ignored me.

"He was constantly after Kikyo. Always trying to take her from me." Inuyasha sounded highly pissed off. "It seems he wants to repeat the scenario with you."

"Oh trust me, Inuyasha, I have no interest Naraku. He scared me." I said honestly. "Something about him seemed off."

"That's because he's a half demon like me." Inuyasha said quietly. "He's not a full human."

"That would explain only some of it, but he's just creepy in general." I replied. I laid a hand on Inuyasha's arm, trying to reassure him. "Trust me."

Inuyasha looked at me, and he looked like he was getting ready to say something, and judging by his expression, it was something important, but when he opened his mouth, he was interrupted by the loud voice of Miroku, who shouted a greeting our way.

"Inuyasha, Kagome! Come have lunch with me and Sango!" he offered.

"Come on, Inuyasha. Stop worrying about Naraku. Let's just go, ok?" I smiled gently at him, and he let out a breath before he followed me over to where Miroku and Sango waited for us.

I had ordered both Miroku and Sango to secrecy about my meeting with Kikyo, because they both knew that I had to keep Inuyasha from finding out. The solstice was tomorrow night, and I still had to find a way to get Inuyasha to the cemetery to see Kikyo.

Miroku and Sango kept the conversation going with their usual banter, and I made myself act normally, because Inuyasha was quiet and still sulking about Naraku. I didn't want him to be upset, because it bothered me to think that he was worried about me when he shouldn't be.

So I announced my invitations to everyone to have a movie night at my house, and Miroku and Sango agreed. Inuyasha still had yet to really say anything, so I elbowed him underneath the table and he glared at me, demanding "What?"

"You are going to _stop_worrying Naraku right now and you are going to be in a _good__mood_ when you come to my house tonight, and you are going to have _fun_." I grabbed Inuyasha by a thick lock of his white hair and brought his face down to mine. "Got me?"

He just gulped while Miroku and Sango snickered. "Looks like someone's whipped already." Sango quipped.

"What! I'm not fuckin' whipped!" Inuyasha snarled, turning his furious eyes to her. "There's not even anythin' like that goin' on!"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you." Miroku said smoothly, and Inuyasha didn't look like he knew whether to kill Sango or Miroku first.

I giggled quietly to myself as Inuyasha pouted, glaring off into the distance, away from all of us. _Being __with __Miroku__, __Sango__, __and __Inuyasha __feels __natural__. __As __if __I__'__ve __always __been __meant __to __be __here__ . . ._

Inuyasha came inside on his own as if he lived in my house that evening, but I didn't mind. He could live here for all I cared. At the moment, I was busy in the kitchen, cooking snacks for everyone.

"Hello Inuyasha." I greeted when he came into the kitchen without turning away from the stove.

"Hey. Are Miroku and Sango here yet?" he asked.

"Nope. It's just you and me." I replied, forcing my voice to sound cheerful. In truth, I was thinking of the best way to get him to the cemetery tomorrow. I wasn't sure how I was going to do it, seeing as how asking him to go to a graveyard at night with me was just weird in general.

Say, Inuyasha?" I started, hesitantly.

"Yeah, what is it?" he was over by the table, busy sampling my chocolate covered peanut butter cookies off one of the snack trays.

"Are you busy tomorrow night?"

"No, why?" he turned to face me with a mouthful of cookie, and it would have been amusing if I hadn't been nervous about the thought of him meeting Kikyo.

"I've got a surprise for you tomorrow." I decided it was best if I didn't even mention where we were going. The less questions, the better, because I needed this to work. Kikyo was counting on me. "You'll love it."

"Oh yeah? What kind of surprise?" he seemed to be wary now.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, baka!" I chided. "But you need to meet me here in my dorm at eight tomorrow. And I'll surprise you then."

"I don't know if I trust you." he commented, and yelped when I turned and whacked him upside the head with my hand.

"Don't be ridiculous!"

"Alright already! I'll be here, just stop beatin' me, woman!" he grumbled.

_At __least __that__'__s __taken __care __of__. __Now __I __just __have __to __find __a __way __to __keep __my __feelings __in __check __when __Inuyasha __and __Kikyo __meet__. _I thought, sadly. "Well, you should go and pick some movies out in the livingroom. They're on the shelf underneath the TV." I shooed him from the kitchen with my spatula.

_I __wonder __what__'__s __going __to __happen __to __Kikyo __after __she __and __Inuyasha __meet__. __Will __she __vanish __forever__? __Will __it __be __enough __to __put __her __soul __at __peace__? __Or __will __her __death __still __have __to __be __avenged__? __We __don__'__t __even __have __a __clue __as __to __who __is __responsible __for __her __death__, __so __how __can __we __even __avenge __her__? _

_Not __to __mention__ . . . __even __after __Kikyo __sees __Inuyasha __tomorrow__, __will __she __want __me __to __bring __him __to __her __often__? __Everyday__? __How __is __he __even __going __to __react__? __It__'__s __too __much __to __even __consider __right __now__! _My head was swimming with all the questions, and I let out a frustrated sigh. It was to much to worry about.

"All you have is girly crap, Kagome!" Inuyasha complained from the other room, interrupting my hectic thoughts.

I turned off the stove since I was done frying the twinkies (apparently a favorite of Americans I wanted to try) so I could go in there and knock some sense into that hanyou.

"Inuyasha!" I stomped into the livingroom, seeing him crouched down in front of the shelf. I crouched down beside him. "Obviously you have no taste! Look at these!" I pointed to the _Titanic_, _Casablanca_, _Romancing __the __Stone_, and a few others. "They're classics!"

"Tch. No, they're crap." he retorted. "This is all chick stuff! Why would me an' Miroku wanna watch this junk?"

"You and Miroku aren't the only ones here! You've got way too much testosterone in your system!" I started reaching for _Alien__VS__Predator_, a guilty pleasure of mine, the same time that Inuyasha did while declaring loudly, "Hah! Whaddya know? You do have somethin' that won't lower the levels of my _testosterone_ when I watch it!" but our hands met midair.

Both of us were silent, and as I looked at Inuyasha and blushed, I realized how close we were. He seemed to realize it as well, and blushed in return. Slowly, his fingers threaded over mine, and he brought my hand to rest over his heart. His eyes held mine, golden and seductive, and I couldn't look away if I'd tried. "Kagome . . ." he whispered, and leaned down toward me.

_He__'__s __going __to __kiss __me__. _I realized. _I__ . . . __I __want __to__ . . . __I __want __him __to __kiss __me__. _It nearly scared me, how badly I wanted him to do it. It didn't matter that we hadn't known each other that long. It didn't matter that he would be the first boy I had kissed and there was no going back, and it didn't matter than Sango and Miroku could walk in at any minute. I just knew his lips were a hair's breadth away from mine and I wanted nothing more for that distance to be closed completely.

_Kikyo__. _A voice in my mind whispered. _You __can__'__t __do __this__, __Kagome__. __It__'__s __wrong__._

I turned my head to the side at the last minute, and his lips grazed my cheek. It hurt to pull away, because everything within me screamed not to. It took all of my power to not turn my head back around and seize his mouth with mine, and I had to physically stand up so I wouldn't act upon my desires. I could feel my eyes brimming with tears, because I wanted it so badly, and it felt like it would be so right, but my guilt over Kikyo wouldn't let me do it.

"Kagome?" his voice was confused, and he stood up as well. "Somethin's bothering you. Tell me."

"Nothing's wrong. I'm fine." I lied.

"I can smell your emotions, Kagome, and they're all over the place. Quit bein' so stupid and just tell me what's goin' on." he said, sounding testy.

"I . . . I can't." I admitted, after minute.

"Can't or won't?" he moved to face me, and stared me down. His golden eyes were concerned, but also irritated. I could tell he had wanted that kiss as much as me and he wanted a real explanation as to why he'd been rejected.

"Both." I avoided his eyes, because I didn't want to look into his eyes and have him persuade me to tell him about Kikyo. I just couldn't do it. He'd find out tomorrow. He'd have his explanation then. And when he saw Kikyo, he'd forget completely about me.

The thought hurt. It was like a knife in my chest, but I knew it was true, and I needed to accept it. "Kagome, I want you to tell me. I want you to feel like you can tell me anything. Because you can." He reached up, and clasped my shoulders, and I let out a little gasp of surprise when he pulled me against him, and his arms locked around me.

I rested my head on his shoulder after a moment's hesitation. _Kikyo __will __get __to __do __God __knows __what __with __him __tomorrow__ . . . __I __can __have __this __moment__ . . . __she __can__'__t __begrudge __me __that__. __Just __because __I __came __into __his __life __after __her __doesn__'__t __deny __the __right __to __feel __this __way__. _I thought.

"You'll find out tomorrow, Inuyasha." I revealed, deciding it would be ok to tell him that at least. If I didn't do that, who knew how far he would go to get the answer out of me?

"You promise?" his lips brushed my ear, and I shivered a little, feeling a tingle of desire going through me. I pushed it away desperately.  
"Yes, I promise." I started to move out of his arms, but he held me fast.

"Kagome . . ." his voice was hesitant, before he grew more confident, and he asked me point blank, "Does any of this have to do with Kikyo?"

I flinched a little. Apparently Inuyasha knew me a little better than I thought. ". . . I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to." he didn't release me, but pulled back so he could look into my eyes, and his looked angry now. "Kagome, why are you worryin' about that right now?"

"Because it's wrong for me to kiss you or let you hold me." I said, and it was true.

"I can't forget about her, Kagome. I won't lie about that. And I won't lie about anything else with you. But it isn't wrong." he said determinedly.

"I think you're trying to convince yourself more than me." I whispered, looking away from his eyes. "Even when you look at me right now, that's all you see, isn't it? It's her."

"That isn't true!" his voice was growing louder with his anger. "Kagome that isn't fair!"

"And it's not fair for me to have to feel the way that I feel and know that I'll be second best!" I cried in his face, and the minute the words left my mouth, I couldn't believe they had.

_What__'__s __wrong __with __me__?_

It was his turn to flinch. He looked down from my eyes, and away from me. And the next words that came out of his mouth shocked me more than what I had just yelled so harshly at him. "I'm sorry Kagome. You're not second best."

Never in a million years had I expected to get an apology from Inuyasha. I felt my expression soften, and I looked at him with pity. "No, Inuyasha, I'm sorry. That was wrong of me to say."

"It doesn't matter anyway. I-" he started to say something, but a knock on the door interrupted us.

"I'll get that." to be honest, I was grateful for the interruption. I wasn't surprised to see Miroku and Sango there, both of them smiling and genuinely happy to see me. I smiled back, and Inuyasha came to join us in the kitchen as I led them to the snacks.

"So what movies did you bring?" I asked Sango, as she had a stack of them in her arms.

"All kinds of different stuff." she started showing me the films, and when Inuyasha saw some of them, he groaned.

"Ugh, more chick stuff!" he complained.

"I tried to convince her to bring other stuff, but, to no avail." Miroku shrugged.

"Tried to grope me was more like it." Sango muttered, and I pretended I didn't hear her. "You guys are so used to seeing blood and guts and naked girls on every film that you watch."

"Ain't that the most entertaining?" Inuyasha cut in. "OW!" I smacked him upside his head, and he glared at me.

"Ugh, you're such a pig. Sango, maybe we should just have a girl's night and kick these two out." I complained as I grabbed a plate and started loading it up with snacks.

The other three soon followed suit. "I'm going to have to agree with you there, Kagome." Sango replied smoothly, popping a chocolate covered strawberry into her mouth and deliberately ignoring the fearful stares Inuyasha and Miroku were giving us.

"Only if they get on my nerves enough." I answered her, and Sango and I sashayed into the livingroom before plopping down unceremoniously on the couch. Inuyasha and Miroku were in the kitchen talking, so I decided to take that moment to tell Sango what had happened.

"He tried to kiss me a minute ago." I said in a low voice, gesturing in the kitchen toward the boys. Sango knew who I meant. Her eyes widened.

"Did you let him?" it was almost cute, how she looked so eager for details.

"Of course not! I mean . . . almost, but . . . I thought of Kikyo. And I just couldn't do it." I said, my tone softening considerably as I said it.

"But you wanted to?" Sango pressed.

"Yeah." I sighed. "I did." There was no sense in denying it. It was written all over my face and if I had said no I would have been lying out of my ass.

"Kagome . . . Kikyo may have been Inuyasha's woman when she was alive, but, she isn't alive anymore. It isn't wrong for you to have a relationship with him." I was baffled to hear Sango say this.

"But Sango, it does feel wrong when I promised her that I would bring Inuyasha to her tomorrow night. That's like, betraying her trust. I just can't do that." I reasoned.

Sango seemed to consider this. "Well, there's that. I didn't think of it that way. But after tomorrow, he's completely fair game, right?"

"I don't know. That's the thing. What if she wants to see him every single day? What will I do then? What if he wants to go see her all the time? What will I do?"

"I guess there's a point where you have to draw the line somewhere." Sango answered slowly. "They have to remember that it's your life and your feelings as well. Kikyo is gone. She can't have Inuyasha anymore, as much as I hate to say it."

"Sango . . . you don't think it would have been wrong if I had kissed Inuyasha today?" I asked softly.

"Not necessarily, no. Kagome, I think there's a reason you came into Inuyasha's life. And he into yours. And don't ever let anyone tell you that you weren't destined to meet, because I see it that way." Sango replied gently, laying a hand on my shoulder.

I looked at her, and she smiled at me, and I was so grateful to have her as my friend. I hugged her tightly, and she hugged me back. Sango felt like a sister to me, despite me not having known her for that long.

"All right, break it up." Inuyasha's loud, obnoxious voice announced his entrance. Miroku was trailing along after him, and the boys joined us on the couch, all four of us squished together after Miroku selected a DVD and popped it into my DVD player.

"Ugh, you're squishing me." I complained into Inuyasha's white dog ear.

"Then just sit on my lap, you big baby." before I could protest, he grabbed me and hauled me up into his lap, and I felt a blush light my face as Miroku cat called.

"Well, Inuyasha, don't let Sango and I interrupt your time with Kagome. If you were planning a romantic evening, you should have just said so." Miroku commented slyly, and snickered as Inuyasha turned beet red.

"This ain't no fuckin' soap opera, you perverted pest! Besides, you're just waitin' for an opportunity to stroke Sango's butt, so I don't wanna hear it!" Inuyasha snarled. I giggled.

"True." Sango sighed.

Miroku looked worried for the smallest of instances. "You really think that's what I'm waiting for?"

"Well, I'm actually surprised you haven't groped me already."

Miroku sighed, as if he were chiding a small child. I felt my eyes widen when he rested his hand on Sango's breast. "Sango, if you wanted me to fondle you, you just had to ask."

A hard stinging slap to his face was his answer.

It turned out a few hours later Sango and I were the only ones who had paid attention to the movie, because somehow throughout the course of the film, both boys had ended up with their head's in _our_laps. I was absentmindedly stroking Inuyasha's hair, feeling the soft, silky texture, and he was fast asleep. I stroked his ears and they twitched when I released them, and he made a contented sound in his sleep. It was cute.

"Kagome?"

I looked toward Sango, who was also stroking Miroku's hair, even though it was in his customary ponytail. "Yeah?"

"Wanna play a prank on these two?" she suggested, grinning at me.

I smirked. "Of course."

About ten minutes later both boys were laying outside my dorm in nothing but their unmentionables and their clothes were inside my house. My door was locked, and Sango and I were giggling like crazy.

It took about three seconds for the boys to wake up from where they lay, and when they did and realized where they were and the predicament they were in, Sango and I burst out laughing at their wails of distress.

"KAGOME! YOU'D BETTER OPEN THIS FUCKIN' DOOR UP RIGHT NOW!" Inuyasha pounded on my door. I'd never seen him so mad. "I AM GOING TO _KILL_YOU FOR THIS IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!"  
"SANGOOOO! SANGO, PLEASE OPEN UP! I WON'T DO ANYTHING OF A DELINQUENT NATURE TO YOU AGAIN! I PROMISE!" Miroku's shouts combined with Inuyasha, and both Sango and I were laughing so hard I thought I wasn't going to be able to let them both back in.

"YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY!" Inuyasha was beyond mad.

"I think it's hilarious!" I choked out. That just set Sango and I off into another fit of giggles, and I knew I wasn't going to be able to open the door.

Sango finally managed to pull herself together, and when she opened the door, the boys came racing in and immediately snatched up their clothes where they lay on the couch. Inuyasha's face was red he was so angry, and Miroku just looked grateful to be inside in the warmth.

"You're gonna pay for that, Kagome." Inuyasha promised, as he buttoned up his jeans. I had to admit, he looked absolutely breathtaking with those low rising jeans and no shirt on, but I wasn't about to tell him that. He pulled on his shirt, obviously too pissed to notice my ogling.

"Yeah yeah. Well, that ought to teach you both not to fall _asleep_when we have movie night." I retorted. "Now, if you two will kindly get out, Sango and I are going to go to bed."

Miroku turned to Sango. "You're staying?"

"Yeah, I guess I am. I'll see you tomorrow though." she told him, and I smiled at the earnest look on her face. Those two were adorable.

"Well, good. I have to admit, that prank you pulled was clever. I couldn't have done it better myself." Miroku took it all in good humor, and to my, Inuyasha's, and Sango's shock, he leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before he turned and left.

Her face was the shade of a red rose. I let out a happy squeal and clapped my hands. "Sango!" I seized her hands and did a happy dance, and after a moment, she joined in with me. Inuyasha groaned and ran his hand over his face, obviously not too entertained by our girlish antics.

"Well, I'm goin' to go too. I'll meet you here tomorrow at eight, Kagome." Inuyasha paused, and when he saw Sango was going to watch, he sighed. He pulled me into his arms, and I blushed a little, still surprised he was so touchy-feely with me lately. I rested my head on his shoulder for a moment, and he just held me. It was nice, being in his arms. I knew Sango was watching with hawk eyes, so I wasn't going to dare try anything else.

"Thought you were mad at me." I commented.

"No, I'm not mad. I'll just get you back." he promised.

"Ha ha ha. Good luck." I muttered. He ignored that.

See you tomorrow, Kagome." Inuyasha released me and left.

**Next ****chapter****: ****The ****winter ****solstice ****where ****Kikyo ****and ****Inuyasha ****will ****be ****face ****to ****face ****for ****the ****first ****time ****in ****two ****years****. ****Any ****guesses ****as ****to ****what****'****s ****going ****to ****happen ****and ****how ****Kagome ****will ****react****? **

**Tell ****me ****what ****you ****think ****of ****the ****story ****so ****far ****in ****a ****review****! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Warning: This chapter contains mature content not suitable for ages below 18. If you are 18 and older, and you don't like sexual situations, I suggest you not read this story. It's not explicit, but if you don't like it, don't read it. Don't say I didn't warn you.**

Chapter six

_ "I don't believe in beatin' around the bush. If you've got somethin' to say then just say it. How will anyone know how you feel if you don't let 'em know? I think all feelin's that come from the heart are best said out loud." _

_ Inuyasha_

"C'mon Kagome! You told me you'd show me the surprise when I got here! There wasn't anythin' you said about a blindfold!" Inuyasha complained, as I drew the piece of blue cloth around his eyes and tied it at the back of his head.

"Well, I have to take you to the surprise." I was on edge tonight, because I knew what was coming. I wasn't too thrilled, and I wasn't in the mood to put up with any complications tonight. I was already going to have to go through enough. "Trust me, it's not too far away. Just let me take your hands and I'll guide you there. You'll love it."

"Ugh, next time you say somethin' about a surprise, you can forget it." Inuyasha muttered, as I took his clawed hands in mine and started leading him down the sidewalk from my dorm to the university.

_I never considered that Inuyasha might get angry about this surprise. What if he isn't happy to see Kikyo? What if it's too painful, and he gets mad at me? _I thought. _No, I don't think that'll happen. He'll probably be thrilled to see her. _I was ashamed to admit that I wanted him to be displeased to see her. I didn't like the thought of those two together.

_Why do I feel this way? Why did I even agree to this? Why did I tell Kikyo that I could show her Inuyasha? This is all my fault. Everything that's going to take place, whether it's good or bad, is my fault. _I thought sadly. I was mad at myself, and I was mad at Kikyo. I was mad at all of the circumstances. _It's not her fault if she loves Inuyasha and wants to see him._

By this time we'd reached the university, and I started to guide him around it. _I just want Inuyasha to be happy. And this seems like something he would want. Please, let him just be happy._

I pulled him to the cemetery gates, and I could hear him sniffing behind me, trying to discern where we were. "Kagome, I smell . . . death. Where are we?"

"We're almost there." I said quietly, and kept pulling him along.

Each step toward Kikyo's grave felt like a weight I was lifting with all my strength before placing back down. It seemed to drag on and on, and when we reached her grave, I felt my heart begin to pound.

I closed my eyes, and I could sense that she was near. And she was strong. I felt something that I'd never felt before emanating off of her in waves, and I realized it was her spiritual energy. It was powerful, and overwhelming. Is this what she had sensed from me?

I opened my eyes, and looked behind us, seeing Kikyo standing there. I was about to say something, when I heard a voice, her voice, but her mouth didn't move, and I gathered she was speaking to me through her mind. "_Kagome, let me use you. May I use you as my vessel_?"

"_I . . . I trust you. Please . . . just make Inuyasha happy_." I thought, and I knew she could hear me. She nodded. I gasped when I felt something icy and white hot at the same time run through me, and suddenly, it was as if I was there, watching Inuyasha, but I was not in control of my movements. I saw my hands lift, but I wasn't lifting them, and when I saw they were garbed in white, I realized it was Kikyo's body I was seeing. She was portraying herself through me. I wasn't even where Inuyasha could see me.

Kikyo reached up, and around, untying the blindfold, and she said softly, "Hello, Inuyasha." the blindfold fluttered to the ground.

And when his eyes landed on her, and he saw it was her, I knew he could never be angry to see Kikyo. "Kikyo . . ." he whispered, and there was so much tenderness and sadness in his voice that it broke my heart. "how . . . how is it possible?"

"It wouldn't be, without Kagome's help." she answered softly.

"Ka . . . Kagome? Where is she?" Inuyasha took a hesitant step toward Kikyo, and he couldn't take his eyes off her.

"I'm here," I tried to say, but nothing came out, and I remembered I had no control of my body.

"She left us alone." Kikyo answered simply, and I wanted to scream, _Wait a minute! No, I'm right here! I can still see what's happening! I still know what's going on! _and suddenly, I regretted letting Kikyo use me as her vessel. I didn't want to see what happened. I didn't want to feel it.

I could feel what Kikyo felt. I could feel the overwhelming sadness, I could feel the overbearing love, and the pain. I felt the anguish, and I wanted to cry. The emotions overwhelmed me, and I was nearly knocked over from the force of her emotional battle. But there was also joy. Unbelievable joy, at seeing Inuyasha again, at hearing his voice, at smelling his scent.

"Kikyo, I . . . I don't understand." Inuyasha reached out, and his hands, warm and full of life, slipped around Kikyo's.

She sighed at the warm, pleasant touch. "It is the winter solstice, Inuyasha. The line between our worlds is so thin, and my spirit lingers on because I am not at peace. I cannot rest until my murder is avenged . . . you were taken from me. My life was taken from me. I cannot be satisfied with a death such as that.

"But please . . . this is the only night that this interaction is possible . . . I don't have the strength for another meeting like this. So please . . ." Kikyo moved closer to him, and to Inuyasha's surprise, she slipped her arms around him and leaned on him. "Let me embrace you. How I've longed to embrace you like this so long, Inuyasha."

"Kikyo . . ." He whispered, and his arms cradled her delicate form to him, and he rested his cheek on her hair.

"Tell me, Inuyasha . . . how have you fared, without me? Have you just forgotten about me?" Kikyo rested her head on his shoulder, much as I had done, and I gathered it was something she had done often, by how it looked as if she belonged there. Not only could I see through Kikyo's eyes, but it was as if I could also see outside, could see both of them together. It was agonizing, but I couldn't look away.

"I could never forget about you, Kikyo. You're all that's on my mind. I never stop thinking about you, not even for an instant!" Inuyasha shook his head, his wild mane of white hair swaying with the movement. "You have no idea how many nights I've lied awake, wishing I could take back what happened . . ."

_I knew it . . . I knew that he sees nothing but Kikyo when he looks at me. He's always thinking of her. She's always on his mind, and that will never change . . ._ I thought, and I wanted to cry.

Tears escaped Kikyo's eyes. "But you are no longer mine to have, Inuyasha. I am dead. And therefore I cannot be with you in this form. My time with you is over."

His arms tightened around her, holding her to him, as if he couldn't let her go without it causing him physical pain. I was shocked when I saw he was trembling slightly. "Kikyo . . . I wasn't ready when you died. I wasn't ready for any of it. There was nothing that could ever prepare me for having you taken from me . . . I . . . I-" Kikyo leaned up, and her lips met his, and he was still trembling, even as he kissed her back, and I could finally feel the warm tears slip down my face.

And suddenly, I could hear Inuyasha's voice, but he was kissing Kikyo, and I realized that somehow, Kikyo had formed a spiritual bond between her and Inuyasha with her powers, and I could hear his thoughts.

_This is Kikyo . . . this is the same Kikyo that I held in my arms two years ago. And this is the same way I used to hold her. The same way I used to kiss her. Her scent is the same. She feels the same . . . but her life is gone. She's cold, and she's sad . . . I wanted to protect her. I wanted to protect her from everything . . . _His thoughts were lined with pain and sorrow, and though he didn't shed tears, I could feel the pain. I could feel his anguish, and his lips were fierce on hers, because he knew that this was his only night.

"Please, Inuyasha, love me as you once loved me." Kikyo whispered, when she pulled back from his lips. "Show me the love that you never showed me before."

It only took me a moment to figure out what she meant, and I knew immediately, despite my pain at the thought, this was not something I needed to watch or intrude on. Inuyasha didn't blush like he would have with me, because there was no time for him to avoid the point. He simply guided her to the top of the cliff, under the pink blossomed tree before he kissed her again, lowered her to the ground, and her hands went to the hem of his shirt and lifted it up.

I retreated to the very back of my mind, and though I could still hear their sounds, see their actions, and feel their emotions, I still tried to leave them in privacy. There wasn't too much I could offer them, and every touch, every caress, every sigh, every sweet whisper, was like a knife into my heart. It was physical pain, and I sobbed, feeling the betrayal crash down on me. _But he isn't yours to have, tonight. This is Kikyo's only night. Let go of your betrayal. Let go of your pain . . . let them have their time. They deserve this. You have no right to begrudge them this._

When it was over, and they dressed once more, Inuyasha simply held Kikyo in his arms, and leaned against the blossom tree, staring off into the night sky. "Kikyo . . . you were the first woman I ever cared for . . ." Inuyasha whispered into her hair. "And yet . . . I couldn't do anything for you . . ."

Her lashes lifted, and she looked up at his face. "Inuyasha . . ."

Tears stung at his eyes, but they didn't spill over. "Kikyo, I . . . I couldn't save you! When you were thrown from the window . . . I couldn't save you!"

"You came for me. That's enough." She smiled up at him, and finally, I watched in amazement and sorrow as tears broke the surface, and began to run down Inuyasha's face. "Inuyasha . . . this is the first time I've ever seen you cry."

"Kikyo . . ." He whispered, and he kissed her, and Kikyo began to cry as well.

I didn't know how long the kiss lasted, but when they parted, the moon was in the center of the sky, and I knew it was midnight. The solstice was over. "I love you, Inuyasha . . ." Kikyo whispered to him, and her form began to vanish.

Inuyasha gave a sound of distress when she vanished in his arms completely, and a few moments passed, and my body reappeared, on the grass. I had control of my form again, and I looked behind me, seeing Inuyasha was now standing, at the tip of the cliff, staring up at the sky.

"Inuyasha . . ." I whispered.

"I didn't want Kikyo to endure any more sorrow . . ." he whispered. And the next words he whispered would stay with me for the rest of my life.

"I wanted to protect her forever . . ."

"Kagome? Kagome!"

"Huh?" Sango's voice snapped me out of my reverie, and I realized I had been staring off into space again. This had been happening frequently for the past few days ever since the night of the solstice, amongst other things.

"Are you ok?" she asked, concerned. I had told her everything that had happened, and she knew exactly what I was going through.

I smiled at her reassuringly. "I'm fine." _In all honesty, I don't know whether I'm fine or not. After witnessing that . . . I don't really see how I can be. It's not as if I love Inuyasha or anything, but . . . I care about him. I want him to be happy. I want to be happy with him . . . how can I be when he so clearly belongs to Kikyo?_

"If you need to talk, you know I'm here." Sango assured me, and I nodded, returning my attention to the teacher.

Me staring off into space wasn't the only thing that had been happening ever since the solstice. Inuyasha had also taken to avoiding me once again, but it was far more fiercely than ever before. And I knew why. I reminded him far too much of Kikyo, and it was too painful for me to see him, both ways. I believed he was trying to spare me and himself from the pain.

I hadn't talked to him since that night. He had dropped me back off at my house, and muttered a simple, painful "Goodbye" before he was gone, and I hadn't talked to him after that. It wasn't like I'd really tried, either. I wanted to. I wanted to go after him. But I knew it wasn't the best thing we needed right now. Sango and Miroku also agreed that Inuyasha needed time. And he needed to come to me on his own.

But I was starting to grow impatient. I wanted to be close to him. I couldn't stand this distance between us. And I didn't really find it that fair, either. If he was trying to spare my feelings, fine, but at the same time, if I wanted to be in pain and be around him, it was my choice. It wasn't his choice.

I didn't know if I was going to act on it or not yet, though. It wasn't as if I wasn't trying to consider his feelings as well. I knew the pain it would put him in to see me, and that was the only real big factor that was holding me back.

"I still don't see how you managed to endure that, Kagome. Witnessing them . . . doing _that_," Sango blushed a little before continuing, "seems like it would be just pure agony for you."

"It was." I admitted. "But, there was nothing I could do about it. And . . . they deserved it. It wasn't my business."

Sango didn't say anything to that. "I'm sorry, Kagome." She said softly.

"It's fine. I'll be ok." I assured her, looking down at my book.

"I hope so. If he keeps avoiding you after a few more days, I think you should go talk to him." Sango suggested.

"I will, if it gets bad enough." I promised.

Unfortunately, it got bad enough.

At first, I'd been understanding. But after a week or so passed, I concluded that this was growing ridiculous. I hardly even saw Inuyasha, and whenever I did, I saw him so briefly I had to stop and consider if I'd really even saw him. It was insane. So I decided it was time that I confront him and change this. I needed him in my life, and I wanted him to need me too. I wanted to be his friend, if that was all I could have.

I still remembered where Inuyasha's house was from the first time I'd been over there, so I took a cab down to his mansion and when I got out, I marched right up to his mansion doors and raised the large, ornate knocker and banged it twice, loudly, for good measure.

The door was opened a few moments later by Myoga, who looked surprised and pleased to see me. "Lady Kagome. This is an unexpected, but pleasant surprise, To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I'd like to see Inuyasha, if he's here." I replied.

"He's out in the backyard training with Tetsusaiga. It's all he does nowadays." Myoga sighed. "I can show you to him if you like."

"Sure, thanks." I smiled politely, but on the inside, my heart was racing. _What am I going to do? How am I going to act? How is he going to act? Is he going to be mad to see me? Is he going to be happy? _

The trip to the backyard was far too short for my liking, and when Myoga slid open the doors and revealed Inuyasha outside, cutting wood with his huge blade, I froze in fear for a moment, unsure of what to say.

Without looking back at us, Inuyasha said irritably, "I already said I don't want to watch any porn, Myoga! That stuff is just sickening to me, and it won't help me relax!"

I looked at Myoga with wide eyes, and he hastened to explain. "Nothing but a recreational suggestion from Master Miroku, who visited earlier."

_That explains it. _I thought sarcastically. "Master Inuyasha, you have a guest. Lady Kagome is here to see you." Myoga announced, and I was pretty sure my heart stopped when Inuyasha stiffened and whirled around and saw me with his own eyes.

I would never forget the look in his eyes when he saw me in that moment. His golden eyes turned so very, very sad, and his mouth was grim. And I had the feeling that if we were dating, I would get some sort of break up line. Except we weren't dating. So what would he give me?

"Myoga, leave us." Inuyasha ordered quietly, and Myoga disappeared. Inuyasha sheathed Tetsusaiga, and cut straight to the point. "What do you want, Kagome?"

His harsh tone stung. "I wanted to come and see you. I wanted to know why you're avoiding me." I decided if he was going to be blunt, I was going to do the same.

"Kagome . . . I've been thinkin' a lot ever since the night on the solstice. And I've decided . . . I can't see you anymore. It would be wrong." He wasn't looking at me, and I knew it was because he couldn't look at me while he broke my heart.

"What if I told you . . . that I wanted to stay? Even if it hurts me?" I whispered, slowly descending the steps, and moving toward him.

His ears flicked at this, and he slowly looked at me. "Kagome . . ."

It was my turn to look away. "I know that there's a bond between you and Kikyo. It's one I can never come between, and one that I would never dare to try to come between. And I don't know how much room is left in your heart, Inuyasha, or if there's even room for me. But . . . I know that I want to stay by your side. It's what I know I have to do. So please, Inuyasha . . ." I looked him in the eyes, and said my next words with as much courage as I could muster, "will you let me stay?"

"You'll stay . . . with me?" he asked softly.

I looked at him for a moment, before I smiled, and nodded. "Yeah, I will," and after a moment, he smiled back. I stepped forward and took his hand in mine. _I don't know all of the pain that you're going through. I don't know what I can do to help you. I don't think there's anything I _can_ do to help you. I want you to be happy. I want you to laugh a lot. _I thought, as I held his eyes.

"It's about time!" someone bellowed from the porch, and I looked on with surprise to see Miroku and Sango standing there, both looking rather pleased.

"Miroku, I thought you left." Inuyasha growled, looking embarrassed, though not unhappy.

"No, I just went to bring reinforcements." Miroku joked, and I laughed. "I had no idea that Kagome would show up, but I'm glad to see you two are talking again."

"Me too. Both of you have been moping for a while, so I haven't seen either of you this happy until now." Sango commented, much to my dismay, and I felt my entire face get red. To my relief, when I looked at Inuyasha, his face was red too.

"Well, I can only think of a few reasons that a woman would be that happy after making up with a man. Or the man, for that matter." Miroku said thoughtfully, and when Sango grasped what he meant, she slapped him upside the head.

"Ugh, pervert." She muttered. "Well, now that you two are back to normal, why don't we go inside and get something to eat? You two certainly look like you could use something to eat."

"Now that you mention it, I am pretty hungry." I admitted, and tugged Inuyasha up onto the porch. "Come on, Inuyasha. We can talk more about everything later."

"All right." he agreed, and I knew he wasn't about to argue with his stomach. For the first time since the solstice, I felt relaxed, and at peace. I felt as if I didn't have anything to worry about. It was a good feeling.

Inuyasha and I hung out with Miroku and Sango for a while, watching movies and playing videogames and playing pool and simply acting like retarded teenagers despite that all three of them were at least twenty and I was nineteen, and when they left, I was in a good mood, and Inuyasha seemed to be in a pretty good mood as well. He hadn't laughed a lot, but then again, he never did, but he had grinned a lot and had even joined in on Miroku's perverted jokes a few times, and had earned himself some smacking from Sango and me.

"Let's go talk, ok?" I said softly when the door closed after them. Inuyasha simply nodded, and I took his hand and he pulled me up to his bedroom.

Once inside, he sat down on his bed and I sat beside him, not touching him, and neither of us spoke for a minute. Then, finally, Inuyasha broke the silence, because he wasn't the type to beat around the bush.

"Kagome, why did you do it?" I didn't pretend to play stupid. I knew what he was referring to.

"Because I knew it would make you and her happy. I wanted to give her something that no one else could. It was what she wanted the most. And I felt that she deserved it. Her life was taken unfairly from her and I felt she deserved one last time to be with you." I explained.

"Kagome, how can you be so strong?" he asked quietly. "How can you see something like that and be strong?"

"Don't call it strength, Inuyasha. I'm not strong at all." I admitted. "It broke me inside, seeing you and her together . . . like that." I blushed, and Inuyasha realized what I meant. He blushed as well.

"You saw that?" he looked ashamed of himself, and I felt guilty for revealing my knowledge. It was private, and I shouldn't have seen it in the first place. It wasn't like I'd had a choice, in my defense, but at the same time, it still felt like an invasion of privacy.

"I couldn't help it. Kikyo took over my body and I had no choice but to watch all of it." I explained. "I tried to give you privacy, not to watch, but . . . well . . . it didn't really happen." I blushed at the memories, and quickly pushed them away, not wanting to think about them.

"Well, it doesn't matter. You saw it, so that's that." he said quietly, and wouldn't look at me. "Then there's nothin' else to tell."

"Well, there is something I want to ask." I hesitated.

"Then spit it out." he demanded when I sat there for a moment, debating the question.

"Inuyasha . . . did it make you happy, to see Kikyo again? Was it a good surprise?" I whispered, and was shocked to feel tears brim my eyes.

"Was I . . . Oh, Kagome . . ." he sighed, and pulled me into his arms when the pain overtook me and I started crying. I had withheld my emotions for so long, ever since the solstice, refusing to cry, refusing to let my pain over what had happened get the better of me, but I couldn't do it anymore. I was jealous over Kikyo, I was mad at her, and I was mad at Inuyasha. But most of all, I was mad at myself for falling for him in the first place.

"I'm sorry, Kagome. I didn't want you to be so upset over all of this. That's why I avoided you in the first place." he said gently into my hair. It was the most gentle he'd ever been with me before. I sniffled, clutching him. "Of course I was happy. You gave me the one thing that I've wanted the most for two years now. I was sad, too, but I was too happy to care about that. And I wanted to thank you for doing that for me, Kagome. You sacrificed a lot for me. You're still willing to do that. No one has ever done that for me before."

"I want you to be happy." I said softly into his shirt.

Inuyasha laid his cheek against my hair and held me closer. Then, something strange happened.

I felt a warm feeling rush all throughout me, and my emotions seemed to go haywire. My entire body was floating, it felt like, and my skin was tingling. And I could hear Inuyasha talking, except, his mouth wasn't moving. And then I realized. _I'm hearing his thoughts. How though? How is it possible? _I thought, but then concentrated on what he was thinking.

_She isn't Kikyo. She's different. It's so much different than being with Kikyo. I feel . . . natural. I feel like I don't have to prove anything. Her scent is sweeter, and she's warmer. She understands me, more than anyone else ever has. She sacrificed for me . . . no one else has done that either. She's cried over me, for me . . . Am I feeling the way for Kagome that I feel about Kikyo? Is it even possible that I can feel this way anymore? I don't know what to think. I don't know what I feel. All I know is that I don't want to let go . . ._His arms tightened around me with his thoughts, and my heart was pounding. It was so intimate, romantic, and scary, all at the same time. He was in a mental battle, and that was evident, whether I could read his thoughts or not. And I still had to figure out how I did it. It was something that Kikyo had done, the night of the solstice.

_Is it possible, that when Kikyo took over my body and then disappeared again, that she somehow transferred some of her spiritual power to me? It was the solstice, after all, and the line between our world and theirs is very thin. That seems the only explanation. What else did I get, besides this power? And I can't even control it yet. I don't even know if it will last. And it feels wrong, to read Inuyasha's mind, even though what he's thinking now soothes the pain I'm feeling. _I dragged myself out of my own mind as Inuyasha sighed.

"Kagome . . ." he pulled back, and looked into my eyes. I was blushing, and my heart was pounding, but I resolved that if he tried to kiss me this time, I was going to let him. I wasn't going to let myself be consumed by gulit. I deserved Inuyasha every bit as much as Kikyo, and I had given her her wish and suffered for it, and was still suffering for it. It wasn't wrong to feel this way. "Inuyasha?" I asked softly.

He looked like he was torn between making a move and deciding whether or not it was wrong. He must have decided on the latter, for he released me and didn't try to kiss me. I felt disappointed, but decided I would rather have him kiss me when he was ready for it rather than right now, when he was still all torn up about Kikyo.

"Thank you for letting me stay, Inuyasha." I said to him, and stood up off his bed. "I should probably go now."

"You don't have to go, Kagome."

"I know, but I know I should. I'll come by tomorrow though." I promised, as I headed for his door. I let out a soft sound of surprise as his arms wrapped around me from behind and he pulled me into him.

His claws gently grazed my neck as he brushed my hair away, and then I felt his lips, soft and warm, lightly kiss the nape of my neck. My skin tingled pleasantly wherever his lips touched, and my knees felt weak as my face flushed. My heart was pounding again.

"Inu . . . yasha?" I managed to get out.

"Kagome . . . I'll see you tomorrow." he released me, and I nearly stumbled. I quickly fled his room for fear of how I might react to his bold move, and he didn't bother to walk me to the door.

On my way out from Inuyasha's house, I spotted a silver, sleek Ferrari coming down the driveway. I tried to look into the windows and see the driver, but the glass was tinted so I simply waited until the car came to a stop beside Inuyasha's red Corvette.

A moment later, a tall man stepped out of the car, and I knew immediately who he was by the long, silver white hair, handsome face, and piercing gold eyes.

"Sesshomaru." I stated simply. He was dressed elegantly, expensively, far more extravagantly than Inuyasha would have ever dressed. I was afraid to touch him, for fear of ruining his expensive clothes.

"Human girl." was his reply. His voice, like his eyes, was cold and calculating. "What business do you have with my half brother?"

"None of your business." I wasn't going to back down from him. And I wasn't going to show him fear, because I could tell this man was used to everyone cowering in fear of him. I wouldn't do that for this youkai. "I was actually leaving."

"You would be best to watch your tongue of such insolence, girl." he warned, his voice pure ice.

"Not used to having humans talk back to you? I'm not going to lay here and take it, Sesshomaru." I said stubbornly. I gasped as there was a sudden rush of wind, and a clawed hand seized my throat and I was pinned against the house, at least a few feet off the ground.

Sesshomaru's eyes were cold and unforgiving, and despite my pounding heart, I held his eyes steadily. I wouldn't show submission to him. I wouldn't give him what he wanted.

"You are spiritually identical to the last girl that Inuyasha eloped with." he commented, eyeing me carefully, as if he were trying to scrutinize my soul. "Perhaps that is why he has taken an interest in you. I don't believe I'll ever understand his interest in humans, but it may be the fact that he is nothing other than a filthy halfbreed."

"Don't say that about Inuyasha!" I struggled, furious at his degrading words. "At least he's not a pompous ass!"

To my shock, Sesshomaru smiled faintly. "You are nothing akin to Kikyo, you ungrateful wench. I can smell Inuyasha's scent all over you. So, perhaps, you're merely a toy?"

I flushed with anger and embarrassment at the insinuation. "I'm no one's toy! I'm worth more than that to Inuyasha!"

Sesshomaru released me, and I crumpled to the ground in a heap, clutching my throat and coughing. "We'll see about that." were his cold, parting words as he disappeared into the house.

The next day I came to Inuyasha's house after classes as promised, but I was wearing a scarf. Inuyasha hadn't been in class today so I assumed he had just skipped, and I was praying he wouldn't question the weird fashion statement around my neck. I was wearing it because there were purple bruises on my neck from my encounter with Sesshomaru the previous day. I knew if Inuyasha saw the bruises he'd go ballistic.

Myoga greeted me at the door, and I immediately noticed that his expression wasn't cheerful as normal, but grim. "Lady Kagome. I'm sure you're here to see Master Inuyasha?"

"Yes please, if that's ok." I said politely, growing worried by Myoga's expression. "Is everything all right?"

"Master Inuyasha is wounded, I'm afraid. His half brother Sesshomaru stopped by yesterday after you left and the two, unsurprisingly, had a confrontation." Myoga explained.

_Oh no . . _. "Is Inuyasha all right?" I asked worriedly.

"He took quite the beating." Myoga admitted. "But he will be fine, yes. He has a few broken ribs, but those will heal within a day or so. Since Master Inuyasha is half demon, he can withstand a lot more pain than a human, and he heals much faster. He will be all right."

"Can I see him? I'd like to help, if I can." I offered.

Myoga smiled. "Such a kind heart. Of course, Lady Kagome. I'll take you to him." Myoga led me up the stairs to Inuyasha's room, and left us alone when I entered.

Inuyasha was laying his bed, his eyes closed, but by his irregular breathing, I knew he wasn't asleep. He was shirtless, but there were white bandages all across his ribs, and I rush over to the bed side.

"Inuyasha . . . are you awake?" I asked softly.

His golden eyes opened slowly, and he looked up at me. "Kagome." he looked back away. "I wish you wouldn't have come. I don't want you to see me like this."

"Like what?" I asked, confused.

"Weak and hurt." he still didn't look at me.

"Oh Inuyasha, don't be silly." I laid my hands on his arm, and then took his hand in mine. "I don't think any less of you. Everyone gets hurt sometimes."

"Why are you wearing a scarf?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, uh . . . it's wintertime." I sidestepped.

"Not in my house it isn't. It looks weird. Take it off."

"No, I like it. It goes with my outfit." I protested.

He looked at me, his brow furrowing. "No, it doesn't. It looks plain stupid. Just take it off." he reached up, and I gently but firmly swatted his hand away. He was already injured, and I wasn't going to have him get all bent out of shape by seeing the bruises on my neck. Then he'd try to go after Sesshomaru, and he was in no state to do so.

"No, I won't. It's mine and I'm leaving it on!" I said stubbornly.

"What are you tryin' to hide, you stupid girl?" he snapped, hitting the mark.

Eh? I'm not trying to hide anything! I don't know what you're talking about! Ehehehehee . . ." I laughed nervously, and that was my giveaway.

Inuyasha's eye twitched. "Take it off. _Now_."

I was fearful of him in that moment despite his injuries, because I knew if I didn't take the scarf off, he would yank it off me. But still, I stubbornly resisted "No! It's part of my outfit! I-"

Inuyasha reached up, and, sure enough, ripped the scarf from me. When he saw the bruises, his eyes widened, and the room fell dead silent.

"Who did this to you?" his voice was very quiet.

"It-it was an accident-" I tried to lie.

"Kagome! Don't pull that bull shit with me!" he growled. "Tell me who did this to you!"

"Sesshomaru." I finally sighed. "Right before he came into your house yesterday."

"I knew it!" he snarled. "It was no wonder he was gettin' in my face about you!"

"So that's why you two got into a fight?" I asked softly, rubbing soothing circles on his hand.

"More or less. But that doesn't matter. Sesshomaru is going to pay for laying a hand on you." Inuyasha started to sit up, and I sighed. I knew this was going to happen. I put my hands on his chest and pushed him back down. "Don't try to stop me, Kagome! That bastard has had it comin' for a while, and this is the last straw! Hurting me is one thing, but he isn't gonna hurt you and get away with it!" I felt touched, by his words. Inuyasha was pissed as hell, so I wasn't going to bother to tease him about his statement, but I also wasn't going to let him go off to confront his brother right now.

"Just stop, Inuyasha. If you're going to confront Sesshomaru, then fine. But not right now. You're hurt. Stop being stupid." I chided, forcing him back down.

"You ain't gonna tell me what to do in my own house-OW!" I pressed hard on his ribs, and he obediently laid back, ears flicking petulantly.

"Look, you just need to relax." I continued. "I'm sure you can give Sesshomaru a thorough butt-kicking when you feel better."

Inuyasha let out a loud huff, turning away from me. He was sulking, but I wasn't going to acknowledge it. I wasn't going to let him do something so stupid, because this time, Sesshomaru would probably kill him, because Inuyasha was so weak right now.

"So what were you doing before I came, anyway?" I asked him, to try to get his mind off the subject.

"Myoga was going to help me bathe. I reek of blood from yesterday." Inuyasha answered, his lower lip jutting out childishly. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, I'll just have to help you then." I replied.

He turned a little red. "Kagome, that's what Myoga's job is. You're not goin' to do that."

"Oh, I've already seen you naked before. It's nothing I haven't already seen." And it was true. The night of the solstice I had seen Inuyasha do things that would make Hugh Hefner blush.

"Kagome, it's too much trouble. Just let Myoga do it."

"Would you be quiet? I feel partially responsible for you being in this predicament, anyway. If it wasn't for me, you and Sesshomaru probably wouldn't have fought." I said, putting my hands on my hips.

"Kagome-"

I stared him down with such a look that he shrank back in fear. "You. WILL. Let. Me. Bathe. You." I put so much emphasis on each word that they could be consider individual sentences. Inuyasha gulped, and I nodded, satisfied I'd gotten my way.

"All right then, up you go." I took his arms and helped him out of bed, and threw his arm over my shoulder, helping him to his bathroom. He winced a little, but other than that, didn't show any real signs of pain.

His bathroom was huge, with a red theme, from red rugs to red shower curtains to red granite on the counters. It was so Inuyasha that I had to stifle a giggle. He glanced at me, but didn't say anything.

His bathtub was massive and round, and I stooped, filling it with water, but I turned around, and said, "All right, let me help you out of these bandages." I began to unwrap them slowly, and the more I unwrapped, the worse I felt. His smooth, lovely, tanned golden skin was littered with bruises that were black and blue, and I felt worse knowing that in a way, I was the cause of it.

Inuyasha obviously could smell my distress. "It's not your fault, Kagome. Sesshomaru is a jackass. If not this, he would have found another reason to fight with me."

I nodded, deciding to trust his words, and tossed the bandages in the trash. I looked down at his sweatpants, and both of us blushed. I hooked my fingers in them, and when my thumbs brushed his hips, Inuyasha's chest rumbled a little. I didn't dare look at him, for fear of what I would see on his face, and how I would react. I might jump on him, and it wasn't a good idea right now.

I felt my face was going to burst into flame from how hard I was blushing, as I lowered his sweatpants to the floor and helped him step out of them. I avoided looking down south for all I was worth because the sweatpants had been the _only _thing he was wearing, and Inuyasha's face was beet red as well, and he wouldn't look at me. I helped him step into the tub, and once he was settled, I turned the water off.

"Um, well, there's that. Do you . . . uh . . . want me to wash your hair? So you don't have to stretch?" I asked, my face finally beginning to regain it's normal shade.

"Yeah, if you don't mind." he admitted.

"O-okay." I grabbed the shampoo from where it was sitting on the edge of the tub, and helped him dip his head down to get his hair wet. I began to lather the shampoo into his silky mane, and Inuyasha closed his eyes and sighed as I worked, obviously enjoying the treatment. It was sort of cute. I smiled a little to myself.

"So . . . tell me how you and Kikyo met." I said softly.

"Mmm . . . well, it was in my freshman year. She was in her sophomore year, just a little older than me. And . . . I actually saved her from falling down the stairs near the sidewalks." Inuyasha replied, sounding half asleep. _That's where Inuyasha and I first saw each other, too. _I thought. History did indeed repeat itself. "And . . . it just sort of . . . went from there. Kikyo would see me and I would see her and she would always come and talk to me. Eventually, I started comin' up to her instead. One day she just . . . kissed me, and . . . I realized I felt the same way."

"And the rest is history?" I asked.

"Sort of." he agreed.

I rinsed his hair out, and began to work in the conditioner. "How long were you and Kikyo together before she passed?"

"I don't really remember." Inuyasha replied. "It was months, though. And I loved her."

_You still love her. _I thought, but didn't voice it out loud. I rinsed the conditioner from his hair as well, and then asked, "Are you going to need help washing?"

"Uh, I don't think so. I think I can get that part. I'll just need you to help me get out." he replied, sounding a little embarrassed.

"Ok, sure." I stood up, and moved around to the other side of the tub to get the soap. I leaned over the large expanse of water to hand it to Inuyasha, but when I did, I leaned too far, and before I could stop, I fell into the tub.

Water splashed all over the floor, and soaked through my clothes as I laid there, inbetween his thighs. I looked up slowly, my face flushed, and Inuyasha's face, for once, wasn't red. He just stared at me, and I gasped as he grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me against him, into his arms.

"Inuyasha, I'm soaked through. My shoes are probably ruined, and it's uncomfortable." I mumbled, though I was embarrassed beyond belief because he was completely naked and hugging me.

"Kagome . . . stay." he said softly.

"With my clothes on?" I asked incredulously. "Soaked?"

"No." he pulled back enough to look into my eyes, and his next words sent a tingle of desire all throughout me. "Take them off." his voice was low, rougher than usual, and I shivered.

"Inu . . . Inuyasha . . ." there was no way I could stop blushing by this point. "I . . .I can't. We shouldn't, I-"

Inuyasha's claws slipped under the straps of my dress, and pulled them down. I was shivering, with fear and excitement, as he started undressing me. It was only my rationality that kept me in check.

"Inuyasha! I am not about to sit here naked in this tub with you!" I said, angry and humiliated. I batted his hands away.

His golden eyes flashed, and he scowled at me. "Quit bein' ridiculous, Kagome. There's not really room for embarrassment left between you and me."

"Well, I beg to differ. You haven't see me naked and you aren't going to!"

He growled, and I gasped in shocked as his claws raked down my front, leaving my dress in shreds. Inuyasha yanked the dress off my body, and tossed it somewhere, where it hit with a wet slap. I was too stunned to move, and he reached below the water, pulling off my black flats, and tossing them out too. He reached for my bra next, and I finally gained some sense back and struggled. "Inuyasha, stop it right now-" His claws expertly popped the clips in the back, and suddenly, my bra was thrown too, and nowhere to be found.

My arms bolted up to cover my chest, and Inuyasha pulled me against him, his lips brushing down my cheek. I was shivering again. I felt his claws beneath the water, grazing my hips where my panties were, and shivered harder. "Are you goin' to take these off or am I?" I had never heard his voice so deep or rough or sexy before, and it was almost too much.

When I didn't answer, he slipped my panties off my hips and they joined the rest of my clothes. I simply sat there, naked in his tub and in his arms, shivering, and he gently raked his claws through my hair.

"Why are you shakin' so much, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked me softly. "It's just me."

"I k-know, but . . . I've never . . . been with . . . a boy before." I managed to stammer out.

"I know." he said, to my surprise. "I can tell."

"You can tell?" I asked, a little indignant. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You gettin' all embarrassed about this. It's sort of cute, though." he replied, and took me by my shoulders, holding me far enough away from him that he could see my face. "Kagome, relax. I'm not gonna do anything."

"Coming from the man who just stripped me in his tub." I retorted, my face still red. My arms seemed to be locked in permanent place over my breasts. I was far too embarrassed to let him see.

"You didn't fight too much." he said simply, and he had me there. "Give me your hands."

"Give you my hands? I don't think so." I shook my head wildly, refusing.

"If you don't give them to me I'm gonna take 'em myself." he warned.

"Then you're just going to have to try." I wasn't giving in on this one.

He grabbed my hands and yanked them away from my chest, leaving my breasts completely exposed to his eyes. I let out a sound of dismay and clenched my eyes shut, unable to look at him, ashamed of my body and embarrassed of it. I wasn't the prettiest thing out there, and my breasts weren't perfect. They were a nice shape and size, but they were by no means perfect.

"Kagome . . . they're beautiful." he said softly, and I dared to look at him, biting my lower lip. He met my eyes, and smiled slightly at me. "Believe me."

"Just because you compliment them doesn't mean you get to touch them." I sniffed, as he finally released my arms. I relaxed a little, and didn't bother to cover them anymore, since he'd seen them anyway.

"Mmm." his arms slipped around my waist and he pulled me against his chest. This seemed his favorite thing to do with me, and the feeling of my breasts pressing into his bare chest made me blush (man, that was becoming a habit around Inuyasha).

"Do I get to touch any of you?" he asked quietly in my ear, and I shivered.

"No, you don't." I said, but it came out more of a squeak.

"Not even this?" his hands moved down from my waist, over my lower back, and . . .

"No, not that either!" I stammered, swatting his hands away from my bottom.

"Then what about . . . this?" Before I knew what he was doing, his hand slipped down, over my belly, below my navel, and brushed my most intimate area.

A tiny moan escaped my mouth before I could stop it. "N-no! Stop, please . . ." I was trembling against him, as his finger slipped down further, and brushed a particular spot that was swollen and sensitive. A soft gasp escaped my lips, as he laced kisses down my neck, and his free arm tightened around me.

"I want you, Kagome." he growled lowly in my ear. And I could feel the proof, pressing against my stomach. Shivers of desire wracked my body.

"NO! Stop it!" I shoved away from him, my heart pounding, my body warm and tingling all over in strange ways that were unfamiliar to me. "You said you wouldn't try anything! You lied." I clambered out of the tub, humiliated at how my body had responded, mad at Inuyasha for breaking his word, and mad at myself for letting it happen in the first place.

I snatched up one of the red fluffy towels and used it to cover myself as I stormed from the bathroom. My clothes were completely ruined, so I had nothing to wear. I plopped down on Inuyasha's bed, and shrieked when Myoga suddenly popped his head into the room and said, "Lady Kagome, is everything all right? Eh . . . I wasn't aware you and Master Inuyasha were busy. I apologize for interrupting."

"We're not busy!" I cried. "This was all an accident! Myoga, he tore my dress to shreds and now I have nothing to wear!"

"Well, I'll see what I can do. I'm assuming your clothes are in the bathroom. I will go collect them." Myoga entered the bathroom, and I could hear Inuyasha in there, grumbling and complaining.

When Myoga helped Inuyasha from the bathroom, he also returned with all my wet clothes in his arms. Inuyasha joined me on the bed, and I wouldn't look at him or touch him, as Myoga left the room quickly and shut the door after himself.

Finally Inuyasha huffed. "Ok, I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't excuse you molesting me in the tub." I sniffed, clutching the towel tighter around myself. Inuyasha also had a red towel tucked around his hips.

"It wasn't like you were complaining!" he said defensively. "Last time I checked, you were moani-"

"Ugh, you're such a pig!" I huffed, angry and humiliated. "You didn't mean that apology at all!"

"You callin' me a liar?" he demanded.

"Yes, because to begin with, you went back on your word!" I said angrily. "And you didn't even mean it when you apologized!"

"Well if that's the way you're gonna be about it, I take my apology back!"

"It's not like it meant anything in the first place!" I shouted in his face.

"Get off my back!" he shouted back, and we were practically nose to nose.

"Fine, then I'll just leave!" I jumped off his bed, and heard him growling.

"You're not goin' anywhere! You were so determined to stay earlier, well guess what? You get your wish!" Inuyasha grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me up onto the bed and against his body. I was about to punch his chest when I remembered his wounds. He obviously knew I wouldn't hit him because of this as well, for he smirked, "Hah!"

"If you don't let me go right now I'm going to make you regret it-" I started.

"Look, you do realize this isn't the time for us to be fighting? The last thing I need right now is to be fighting with you, of all people, when I'm feuding with Sesshomaru. Can you please just forgive me already?" Inuyasha interrupted irritably.

I glared at him for the longest time, before I finally muttered, "Fine."

"Good. Myoga will get you some clothes." Inuyasha replied, sounding relieved that I was letting it go. "So . . . take off this towel."

I smacked him.

All in all, we finally ended up cuddled together in his bed, with me wearing one of his t-shirts and nothing else, and it was practically a dress on me. Inuyasha had on black sweatpants, and I was laying on my side, and he was spooning me from behind, his claws tracing lazy patterns on my arm.

"Inuyasha?" I asked softly, breaking the silence.

"What is it?"

"Why is your relationship with Sesshomaru so strained?" I questioned, curious.

He let out a breath. "Sesshomaru thinks I'm nothing more than a filthy halfbreed. I'm nothing better than a human to him."

I wiggled around in his arms so I could look at his face. "It must be hard for you, being half demon."

"It was harder when I was younger." he said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"It didn't matter what you said or did, but everythin' got blamed on you. Whether you were good or bad, if you were different, you were wrong. And nothin' you could say would make any of them change their minds." I could hear the anger and bitterness in his voice. "I was the outcast. I still am."

I felt my heart reach out to him, and I slipped my arms around him, and leaned on him. "You're not an outcast to me." I whispered.

And then it happened again. That warm feeling rushed throughout me, and I was Inuyasha's mind, hearing his thoughts. And he was reminiscing of his childhood. The images flashed before my eyes, and then I was there, watching it play out.

_Inuyasha was just a child, with the appearance of a five, maybe six year old boy. He was surrounded by youkai, most of which resembled humans, and they were bouncing a ball amongst themselves for amusement. He ran into the throng of them, reaching up for the ball, but it was passed from youkai to youkai, so he couldn't have it. One youkai dropped the ball, and I watched as it bounced across the ground. Inuyasha, eager to have a chance to play, chased after it, and the youkai murmured amongst themselves. Whispers of "halfbreed" and "impure" were loud enough for Inuyasha's sharp ears to pick up._

_ He turned, facing a beautiful woman garbed in a blue kimono with long black hair. He dropped the ball and raced into her arms. "Mother? What's a . . . halfbreed?" His voice was innocent, confused, and tears slipped down his mother's face._

I was wrenched out of the memory, and I realized Inuyasha was staring at me, his hand to my face. He brought it away, and his fingertips were wet. "Kagome . . . why are you crying?" he whispered.

"They called you a halfbreed . . . you were just a child . . ." I whispered, without explaining how I could even know this.

"How did you-"

"Kikyo . . . she somehow transferred some of her power to me. And sometimes . . . I can read your mind." I admitted. "Like right now. But I don't try to. It just happens."

"Doesn't surprise me." Inuyasha muttered, and his eyes were bitter with the memories. "So you saw that, huh? Well, now you have some semblance as to what I went through.

"That's right, I remember . . . My mother, she was crying. Crying for me. She knew what 'half-breed' meant. What my life would be like." he said quietly.

I just held him close to me, listening to the pain and betrayal in his voice, and feeling for him more deeply than I'd ever felt before. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha." I whispered. "You're not a halfbreed to me . . . You're not a half demon, or half human. You're just Inuyasha."

"I remember when you first said those words to Miroku." Inuyasha said softly, holding me tighter.

"I meant them, Inuyasha. And I still mean them." I whispered back. "I wish I could take all the bad memories away."

"The bad memories are what make me who I am." Inuyasha said quietly.

"I like who you are. But I wish you didn't have to go through those things to make who you are." I said softly.

"Kagome . . ." he simply sighed, laying his cheek against my hair. "What about you? What was your childhood like?"

"It wasn't anything traumatic. I had a pretty decent one. I was never picked on. I was never talked about." I said quietly. "I was the smart girl who got good grades, and that was all. There wasn't anything else."

"Do you miss your life in highschool?"

"Of course not. Don't be ridiculous." I pulled back, to look into his eyes. I chose my next words boldly. "If I was still in highschool, I wouldn't have met you."

His golden eyes grew very soft. "Kagome . . ."

He cradled my hand to his chest, and leaned down, toward me, pausing, testing me, seeing if it was all right, and I didn't move. I simply held his eyes, and he leaned down further, his lips brushing mine. "Inuyasha . . ." I whispered, and then his lips pressed against mine.

It was warm. That was the first thing I noticed. It was warm, and it was sweet. He was gentle, kissing me as if he thought I might break if he was any more passionate. His taste, his feeling, the way his hand cupped my neck and pulled me closer, his scent, they were all a sweet shock to my senses. My entire body was floating, and my eyes were closed. _This is real. It isn't a dream. Inuyasha is real. _

_ Kagome . . . _Was the only thing that went through his own mind. I was the only thing consuming his mind, and it made the kiss all the sweeter.

When we parted, I slowly lifted my lashes to his. "Inuyasha?" I blushed, as I came to a realization in my mind. "I care about you." I said softly. _I would do anything for you. I would do anything for you to be happy. You're all that I think about, and the way I feel around you is the loveliest thing I've ever experienced. I've never been happier than I am around you. You are everything to me. _I thought. _And even if you reject me, I'll still be by your side._

His eyes filled with an emotion I didn't understand, and he sighed my name again as he held me to him. "Don't say things like that . . ." he said quietly.

"But it's true." I whispered.

"I know. I believe you . . . But I can't lose you. I can't see another woman I care about die." he whispered into my hair.

"I know you'll protect me." I said into his chest, closing my eyes. I knew why he didn't say anything romantic back. The emotions for Kikyo were still too fresh, and he needed time. He needed time to sort out if he loved me or not. And that was ok. It was still very early.

"So . . . does this mean, you're mine now?" I asked softly.

Inuyasha was quiet a second. I was starting to fear he was going to say no, and then he said softly, "Yeah . . . yeah, it does."

**Ok, I know the smexy scene was kind of thrown in there randomly, but, lol, I wanted it to be in there somewhere. **

**So what was your reaction to Inuyasha's scene with Kikyo? His kiss with Kagome?**

**Ok, really big side note here: I explained this to someone in a review, because this is really complicated. The whole Kikyo using Kagome as a sort of puppet during the solstice is really complicated and weird, so I tried to explain it to the best of my ability, so I'll copy and paste how I explained it here: **

** In this fic, due to the fact that Kikyo and Kagome were born so close in age, it's literally impossible that Kagome can be Kikyo's reincarnation, because Kikyo would have to die and Kagome would have to be born after Kikyo's death, but there's only a few years of difference between their age, so that rules out the whole reincarnation I decided that I would kinda just make something up, so I made their souls so alike spiritually so they are practically the same person. Basically, say that you have one soul, and it's taken and split into two. And those two halves were put into different bodies. Kagome's, and Kikyo's. So their souls are basically the same, because they were split from one bigger soul. So when Kagome comes to the graveyard, it's because of this, that Kikyo could use her spiritual power to fuse Kagome's body within her own, so that she could have a body that was flesh and blood, that you could touch. She used Kagome's living spirit to portray her dead one, and doing this, it made Kagome temporarily in Kikyo's position. It was like they were switching places, so that's why Inuyasha couldn't see Kagome at all, because Kagome was like Kikyo. She was there, but you couldn't touch her, she couldn't speak, and Kikyo was using her living spirit to exist. So no, Kagome can't get pregnant from it and neither can Kikyo, because Kikyo is dead, and technically, it was really Kikyo's body, so it wouldn't even affect Kagome in that way.I know that's really long and complicated, but that's the best way I can explain it. :/  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Warning: Warning for a sexual situation down below. If you are under eighteen you aren't supposed to be reading this anyway, but again, it's not too graphic. You've been warned, so I don't want any flames from anyone if you don't like that stuff. If you don't like it, then skip over it. It isn't too long. **

Chapter seven

_ "Looking back on my childhood, I realized, there were some things I would have changed. I would have been more sociable. I wouldn't have been so alone and isolated myself. Maybe then, I could have met people like Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku earlier on in life."_

_ Kagome Higurashi_

"So it's official?" both Sango and Miroku asked simultaneously, leaning toward me anxiously, hopeful expressions on their faces. I contained a giggle.

"I don't really know. I mean, I think it is." I admitted. "He kissed me, after all. And, he holds me a lot. So, I don't see why it wouldn't be."

"Well, some men like to do those things and not make it official so there's no commitment. OW!" Miroku flinched as Sango slapped him. "I'm not saying I condone such behavior! I'm simply stating a fact. Inuyasha has been known to have various partners and never commit to any of them."

"Don't tell her that!" Sango exclaimed, furious at my crestfallen expression. "Kagome, don't listen to Miroku. I've seen the way you and Inuyasha look at each other. There's no way you'd simply be another one of those girls. Besides, if you were, he wouldn't have put so much effort forth for you."

_That's true too. _I thought. "Either way, I guess he's not going to worry about Kikyo anymore . . . I guess she won't come between us now." It was around lunchtime, and Inuyasha had skipped class again today to keep letting his injuries heal fully. Miroku, Sango and I were seated outside in the grass as other college kids walked about to classes and such, or to take lunch.

"Hopefully." Sango agreed. "Not that I have something personal against Kikyo!" she amended quickly. "it's just, there's no way she and Inuyasha can be together anymore. They can't just see each other on the solstices and have a relationship like that. It's impossible, and he would be a fool to try it."

"Well, I don't think there are any worries there. Even Inuyasha isn't that stupid." Miroku replied wisely, nodding his head.

"Good. Thanks, you guys." I said gratefully. I was really rather fond of both Sango and Miroku, and I couldn't imagine my life without them now.

"So, you never really told us much about your encounter with Sesshomaru, anyway." Sango commented, changing the topic.

"Well, that's because there's not really much to tell. He pretty much called me a worthless human, tried to strangle me, and insulted Inuyasha. He's a big fat jerk." I commented, hugging my knees to my chest.

"That definitely sounds like Sesshomaru." Miroku shook his head. "Sesshomaru's ego is bigger than his head. If you're going to hit him, hit him in the ego."

"Well, like I told you earlier, he's the reason Inuyasha is home today. He hurt him pretty badly." I explained. "And that was how that led to . . . erm . . . everything else."

"The tryst in the tub?" Miroku teased.

"It wasn't a tryst!" I blushed furiously. "It was . . . ugh! It was Inuyasha being unable to keep his hands to himself!"

"Well personally, I don't blame him." Miroku said matter-of-factly. "If I had Sango here in that predicament-"

She grabbed him by his ear, and he winced, wailing and flailing at her. "You don't _really_ want to finish that sentence, do you?" she threatened.

I simply smiled at their antics. "Say, Miroku? What do you know of Naraku?"

Miroku sobered up immediately. "I'm aware he's a half demon with quite the nasty aura to him. Something about him rubs me the wrong way. I've only encountered him a few times, but I noticed him hanging around Kikyo a lot when she was alive."

_So Naraku wasn't lying. _I thought. "Were they friends?"

"Well, it was more of him stalking her." Miroku replied. "Naraku's obsession with Kikyo was rather obvious. Inuyasha harbored a lot of hostility towards him because of it. And vice versus, though Naraku never won Kikyo's affections."

_So perhaps Naraku was lying? _I was confused. _Then maybe what he told me about Kikyo coming to him because Inuyasha wasn't satisfying as a boyfriend was a lie. What if he told me that to make me doubt Inuyasha? _My eyes widened at the epiphany, and I felt anger rush through me. "That jerk!" I outburst. At the looks Sango and Miroku were giving me, I hastened to explain.

"It only makes sense." Miroku agreed after I finished. "You resemble Kikyo, so perhaps Naraku plans to make you his next goal, since he never succeeded with Kikyo. And his chances are higher, since you aren't officially taken by Inuyasha, unless Inuyasha decides to make it that way. It would only be logical that Naraku would try to turn you against Inuyasha with lies so that he may win you over."

"Ugh, that's so dirty and underhanded. As if I'd date him anyway!" I declared. "Naraku gives me the heebee-geebies. There's something about him that's just . . . off."

"Sorry to interrupt, Kagome, but something just occurred to me." Sango suddenly piped up. Miroku and I turned our attention to her. "When Miroku said that bit about Naraku harboring hostility toward Inuyasha for having Kikyo, something made me think. What if Naraku is responsible for Kikyo's death?"

My heart skipped a beat at the thought. "Well . . . I don't really understand why." I admitted. "If he loved her. Why he would do it."

"Maybe it was a 'if I can't have her, then nobody can have her' type of scenario." Sango suggested.

"But we have more than just Naraku as a suspect." Miroku broke in. "What about Sesshomaru? He threatened Kagome. Maybe not with words, but with actions. And Sesshomaru's attitude around Kikyo was always hostile. He could be responsible so much as Naraku because he despised Inuyasha's feelings towards humans."

_So that's two suspects. _I thought. "That's true too. But I thought you said before that you thought Sesshomaru wouldn't bother to interfere in Inuyasha's affairs because of his arrogance?"

"I did." Miroku agreed. "But I'm just saying, Sesshomaru is just as much of a suspect as Naraku. And I do recall seeing Sesshomaru hanging around Kikyo's dorm the night of her murder. It was a full moon that night. I remember that."

_A full moon . . . _I considered. _It only seems fitting. Kikyo died under the full moon, and she and Inuyasha made love under it as well. It's ironic, in a way_. "You know, I'd like to find out who murdered Kikyo." I said after a moment. "She said that her spirit was held here because of lack of vengeance. And I understand that. So if we can find the murderer, we can find proof and turn them in."

"Or avenge her." Miroku said quietly. "If we can find connections, we can cover it up without it being discovered. If there is a youkai going around killing humans simply for having romantic relationships with demons, we're better off without them."

"I don't like the idea of murder, but killing a filthy racist demon sounds like a good idea." Sango murmured, laying her hand over Miroku's, and I knew she was giving him her support.

"I agree." I said slowly, after considering. "We would be better off without them."

"But Kagome, there's something you need to keep in mind." Miroku added.

"What's that?"

"Since Kikyo was a human, she was murdered by falling in love with Inuyasha and being with him. And now that you're in the same predicament . . . we might have to expect that whoever was responsible for Kikyo's death might want to have history repeated. Be on your highest guard." Miroku warned.

I hadn't thought of that. _Someone try to kill me? I should have already thought of that. I'm just going to have to be very careful . . . _

"Hello?" I answered my cellphone as I was walking down the sidewalk to Inuyasha's house. He had to be feeling better by now, so I was going to come see him.

"Hi sweetie. How's it going?" it was my mother again.

"Oh hi, mama. It's going well."

"Well good. I was actually calling to see if you had this evening free."

"Oh, um . . ." I considered. "I was just going to see Inuyasha, but, I can see him anytime."

"Good, good! I wanted you to come home and eat dinner with the family tonight. With me, Sota, and your grandpa." she said, sounding thrilled.

"Sounds like a great idea. What time do you want me to come by?" I asked, as I turned onto the driveway.

"You can start heading over now, actually, if you want. And since you were going to see Inuyasha, why don't you just bring him along? I'd like to meet some of your new friends." she suggested.

"Oh mom, I don't know if that's a good idea . . ." I started.

"Kagome, don't be ridiculous." She chided me. "Of course it's a good idea! He's the one that you have a crush on, isn't he? Well, I'd love to meet him! I want to see what this boy is like, and if he's good enough for my little girl." she cooed.

"Ugh, mom . . ." I flushed with embarrassment. "Fine. I'll bring him if I can. I'm about to walk in his house now, so, I'll ask him when I'm inside. So, if he can't come, then I'll just head on over in a few minutes."

"Good, then it's settled!" she chirped. I could tell she was probably dancing in happiness. "I haven't seen you in what seems like years since you've been at college! I want to see my little girl again! And her boyfriend too. It's your first boyfriend, you know."

"I'm not sure if he's my-"

"Well, I'll see you when you arrive! I hope you bring that boy! I love you Kagome! Bye bye!" she hung up.

I sighed as I closed my cellphone and replaced it in my pocket. _Where in the world she just makes these assumptions, I'll never understand. Oh well. Hopefully, Inuyasha will be able to come. I would actually like him to meet them if he is my boyfriend . . ._

I knocked on the door and Myoga, as usual, led me up to Inuyasha's room, where he was inside, sitting cross-legged on his bed, sharpening the Tetsusaiga with a wet stone. He was shirtless, and I looked on in amazement because there were no bandages on his chest anymore, and the bruises were completely faded, and his skin was flawless, as if he'd never been hurt.

He looked up at my entrance, and his ears perked up, as he was obviously happy to see me. "Hey Kagome." He greeted.

"Hey. Whatcha been up to all day?" I asked him, as I moved over to the bed and crawled onto it beside him.

"Oh nothin'. Just been foolin' around, really. How was college?" he asked in return, as he set his sword down.

"It was fine. My mom just called me a minute ago, and she wants me to come home for dinner tonight. And she wants you to come with me." I decided I would beat straight to the point. I waited for the explosion.

"Uh . . . well, I don't see why not." he said, after a moment, his eyebrows lifting. "Why does she want me to come though?"

"Because . . ." I blushed. "she thinks you're my boyfriend. And she wants to meet you."

"Feh. Did you tell her I was?" Inuyasha didn't sound like he was against the idea, and I let out a little breath of relief.

"No." I rolled my eyes at the thought. "She just assumed."

"Hmm, well, I guess I'd better get dressed then." Inuyasha sheathed his sword and laid it against the wall before he slipped off the bed and headed over to his dresser. As he was shuffling through his clothes, I felt my heart ache a little at the fact that he hadn't really acknowledged the boyfriend part enough to tell me whether or not he really was. I wanted him to be. I knew that.

I decided I wasn't going to show him it bothered me, though. The last thing I wanted was to guilt him into being my boyfriend. "Well, don't worry about dressing nice or anything."

"Hah! I don't dress nice for anything!" Inuyasha scoffed, as he pulled on a red t-shirt. He was already wearing black jeans, so all he had to do was pull on black converse and he was ready to go.

After Inuyasha told Myoga we were leaving, we climbed into his red corvette and started down the road with me giving him directions. I remained silent, and I noticed, gradually, as we rode, that Inuyasha grew increasingly more fidgety by my silence. He started off by shaking his leg, then he was tapping his claws on the steering wheel, then he was letting out loud breaths, and then his ears were flicking.

"Alright, I've had enough!" He finally burst out, sounding pissed. "There's somethin' botherin' you and I can't stand it! Kagome, what's wrong?" he demanded.

"Nothing." I replied with wide eyes, still trying to recover from the shock of his outburst. "I'm fine."

"How many times do I have to tell you that I can smell your emotions? I know you're upset about somethin'. And you're gonna tell me." he commanded.

I felt a rush of indignation. "You can't just order me around!"

"And you can't just hide things from me if you're upset! That's just wrong." he complained, glaring over at me. Silently, I was cursing his sense of smell. Why did he have to be a half _dog_ demon?

"Fine! It's just . . . I'm confused as to what's going on with us. As to whether . . . you're my boyfriend or what." I admitted, embarrassed. I wouldn't look at him.

"_That's _what's botherin' ya?" Inuyasha sounded perplexed. "Kagome, I thought that would be obvious."

"Apparently not, because I still don't know what's going on!" I pointed toward my house, and Inuyasha pulled into the driveway.

He parked the car, and I continued. "I don't know if you're my boyfriend or not! You practically molested me in your tub, kissed me afterwards, and said that you were mine. And I still have no idea. I don't want to just assume things. And I don't want you to think that I'm just some girl you can fool around with because I'm not. And it's making me upset because I want you to be mine officially and I don't-" Inuyasha suddenly leaned over and kissed me.

My eyes were wide for a moment, before I slowly let them close, and kissed him back. This kiss was just as good as the first, if not better, and I could feel myself blushing. Inuyasha pulled back after a long moment, and looked into my eyes.

"Is that a good enough answer?" he asked quietly.

"Y-yeah." I nodded a bit dumbly, my mind hazy from his kiss. I could barely think.

"Good. Now stop bein' upset, Kagome. C'mon." Inuyasha stepped from the car, and I did as well, feeling a bit giddy inside. _My first boyfriend! And it's Inuyasha! I can't believe this . . . I don't think I've ever been this happy before._

I went up to the door and just let myself in, and the minute we stepped into the house, my mother came bouncing up to us, grinning from ear to ear. She pulled me into a hug. "Oh Kagome, I'm so proud of you for getting into that university. And I'm so glad that I can be rest assured that you'll go somewhere in life." She pulled back from me, and then looked to Inuyasha. Her eyebrows raised.

She stepped up to him, and he towered over her tiny frame. It was amusing, in a way, but I was on edge, waiting for her reaction. Then she reached up, and tweaked one of his ears. Inuyasha held still and let her, but there was an expression on his face that was a mixture of annoyance and disbelief. "Your ears. Are they real?" she asked, curious.

"Mom, yes, they're real, but you probably shouldn't do that . . . " I laughed a bit nervously as I tugged her back. "He's half youkai."

"Oh wow. I've never been so close to a real youkai before." My mom accepted it so easily, and I was surprised, but pleased. "Well, this is the first time Kagome's ever brought a boy home, much less a boyfriend! It's so nice to meet you. Inuyasha, was it?"

"Uh, yeah." he still seemed to be recovering from her invasion of his space.

"We spoke on the phone once. You're even cuter face to face." she complimented, smiling, and Inuyasha blushed a little. She reached up and hugged him, and said, "I've never seen Kagome glow like she is right now. You take care of her, all right?"

"Sure thing." Inuyasha agreed, as he let her hug him, his eyebrows raised. I giggled a little, despite the fact that she was embarrassing me.

"Well, your brother and grandpa are in the dining room. So why don't you go introduce Inuyasha while I finish up dinner?" Mom suggested, as we stood there a bit awkwardly.

"Ok." I took Inuyasha's hand, and pulled him into the dining room. My little brother Sota was seated there at the table, busy twirling his silverware while listening to grandpa tell him about his latest physical ailment.

Sota brightened when I walked in. "Hiya Kagome!" he looked to Inuyasha. "Oh, hi there. You must be Inuyasha."

"In the flesh kid." Inuyasha flashed a wolfish grin, displaying his fangs, and Sota and my grandpa's eyes widened. It was almost comical.

"Wow, you have fangs! Those are so cool!" Sota was only eleven, so it was expected that he was fascinated by something so trivial as Inuyasha having fangs. "Can I touch your ears?"

Inuyasha gave a little growl of frustration, and then it was my grandpa's turn to start in. "You're a half youkai! Why I never . . . I never thought for a minute Kagome's first choice of a boyfriend would be a youkai, but, Kagome never has been normal." he commented, and then picked up his newspaper and began reading.

_That was a lot less painful that I thought it would be. _I thought, surprised. _Well, good. They all seem to accept him just fine. _I finally allowed myself to relax. I looked to Inuyasha, who looked a little overwhelmed by all this. "Do you want to see my old room?" I asked him, smiling up at him.

"Uh, sure. Kagome!" he protested, as I laughed happily and started dragging him down the hall to my room.

I opened the door and clicked on the light. "Everything's exactly as I left it." I said softly. "It's as if mom hopes I'll come back and live here." I laughed again at the thought, and closed the door after Inuyasha and I, so we wouldn't be bothered. My desk was still against the left wall, my bed against the right, and the window still straight across from me. The colors, pink and blue, were still the same.

"Nice room. Your scent is all over everything in here." Inuyasha commented, sniffing the air.

"Well yeah. I used to live here." I replied. "And does that mean I smell bad?"

"Not at all." Inuyasha looked over at me, his golden eyes intense. "I like the way you smell."

I blushed. "I thought you didn't like my scent."

"I never said I didn't like it." he countered, as I went to sit down on my bed. I laid back on it, sighing.

"I miss this room." I said softly, out loud, as I looked up at the ceiling.

Inuyasha walked over to the bed. "Are you plannin' on moving back in?"

"Haha, no." I sighed. "I'm glad mom keeps everything the same, though. It makes it more comfortable for the times that I decide to come back."

"I suppose it's just strange, seeing all of this stuff." Inuyasha's golden eyes did another scan of the room. "I'm so used to having the best of the best."

"Well, why don't you get off your high horse and lay down on the cheap bed with me?" I teased, and grabbed his wrist, pulling him down. He let out a gasp as I yanked harder than he was expecting, and he landed on top of me.

"Sorry!" he balanced his hands on either sides of my head. "I probably just crushed you."

"No, you didn't crush me." I said softly, looking up into his eyes. This position that we were in, with him inbetween my thighs and leaning over me, made me blush. We were alone. In my room. With the door closed. On my bed.

I don't really know what happened or who broke first. But suddenly Inuyasha was kissing me, and that was all I could concentrate on. This kiss was hard and passionate, and his tongue, warm and sweet tasting, parted my lips and stroked over my own. I shivered at the feeling and the tingles of desire going through me, and my fingers moved up hesitantly, weaving through his silver hair and holding him in place. I didn't want him to stop, and I had the feeling he didn't want to stop either.

When he pulled back for a second, we were both breathing fast. His eyes were dark with lust, and the look in his eyes made my heart pound even harder than before. He kissed me again, hard, his claws sinking into my hair and clasping my lips to his. I let my hands wander down from his hair and around, to his chest, and started exploring. I didn't know when I'd gotten so bold, but it was as if my hands had a mind of their own as they ran over his hard muscles and felt them flexing underneath my touch. A low growl rumbled in his chest, and his tongue parted my lips again and then he was massaging my mouth with his tongue once more, and I sighed. _This feels good. All of it. I don't want to stop. _I thought, dreamy.

My own tongue brushed his fangs in his mouth, and the feeling of them made the kiss sharper, more real. Inuyasha withdrew from my lips again and I made a tiny sound of protest, but then he started lacing kisses down my neck, and I stopped protesting. Each kiss on my skin sent trembles through my body, and my body was responding to all of this. I had never been this turned on before in my life, and it was both scary and exciting at the same time.

I let out a gasp as one of his hands slipped down, and cupped the bottom of my thigh, and brought it up, hitching it around his waist. His hips pressed into mine, and my eyes flew open at the feeling of his clear physical reaction to me. Inuyasha's lips made their way to my collarbone, and he bit gently, and I gasped again at the feeling.

I suddenly lifted his head up, and he looked into my eyes, his clearly questioning why I was making him stop. I was breathing hard, as he was, as well. "You can . . . touch me, if you want." I managed to say, blushing a little with embarrassment.

He grinned a little at me, revealing his fangs. "Trust me, Kagome, I plan to."

My mouth went dry at his sexy voice, and I grabbed his hair and pulled his lips back to mine. His chest rumbled with pleasure as my hand drifted up and began rubbing at his ear. I pulled my lips back enough from his to say, "I thought you didn't like people messing with your ears."

"That's because it turns me on." he whispered back, and then kissed me.

I wrapped my other thigh around his waist as we kissed, and my heart began to pound again as Inuyasha's hand landed on my waist, and started making its way up. I forced myself to relax. I was nervous, because I'd never been in a situation like this before. I'd never been touched before. Sure, Inuyasha had already seen me naked, but he hadn't really touched me. It was something different.

Inuyasha obviously sensed my distress, for he pulled back, and looked into my eyes. "Kagome, are you sure you're ok with me touching you?" he asked, and his voice was gentle.

I nodded, a bit shakily. "Yeah, it's ok. More than ok."

He kissed me once, softly, and then said, "C'mere." he slipped his arms around my body, and I held my breath as he rolled onto his back beside me and then pulled me on top of him, with me straddling him. He looked so sexy there, laying in my bed, hair slightly mussed, lips swollen from kissing, his face flushed with desire and his eyes dark.

"Relax." he murmured, and he reached up, unbuttoning the first button to my shirt. I made myself breathe normally, as he continued unbuttoning it, until he had it completely unbuttoned down the front. Once that was done, Inuyasha didn't remove my shirt, but he reached up with his hands, and laid them on my belly. He looked up into my eyes, gauging my reaction, and when he gathered it was safe, he continued moving his hands upwards.

When his hands finally slid over my breasts, my breath caught in my throat, and I felt a rush of warmth down below even more intense than anything else I'd felt thus far. "Good or bad?" his voice was low, and I think he already knew the answer, judging by how he was responding to me physically, which I could clearly see and feel.

"Good." I breathed. I knew he was about to go further, but both of our expressions turned to ones of guilty teenagers when my mom knocked on my door and said, "Kagome, dinner is ready! Come on!"

"Damn it." Inuyasha cursed, throwing an arm over his face and letting his head flop down onto the pillow.

I laughed softly as I buttoned my shirt back up and slid off him. "Um, how long will it take . . . _that _to go away?" I pointed to his erection.

Inuyasha didn't even have to look to know what I was talking about. "Erm . . . Give it a few minutes."

"Just . . . imagine my grandpa naked." I suggested, as I adjusted my shirt.

Inuyasha gave me a look of disgust and horror, and I laughed. His erection faded rather quickly after that, and I couldn't help but keep giggling as we left my room and headed back into the dining room with my family.

Inuyasha sat down beside me, and threaded his fingers through mine. The table was laden with all kinds of good foods, and Inuyasha's eyes were slightly wide as he took in all of it. Obviously, he could see where I got my knack for cooking from.

"Well, you two dig in now." My mother said cheerfully, smiling at us.

Dig in we did. Dinner went smoothly, for the most part, and the conversation remained polite and simple, to my gratefulness. My mother mainly asked Inuyasha questions about college and the like, and when she asked him what he was going to major in, he said he wasn't really sure what yet, and to that, I wasn't too surprised. Inuyasha had all the money in the world to blow from what I'd seen; he didn't even need college.

When my mother asked me to help her clean up afterwards, however, I watched as my little brother Sota asked if Inuyasha wanted to play a videogame with him. Inuyasha agreed, to my surprise, and the two disappeared down the hallway. _Maybe Inuyasha can be the big brother that Sota needs. _I thought with a smile, as I went to help my mom in the kitchen.

**(A/N: Now, I'm going to switch P.O.V's (point of view) to Inuyasha's point of view. It's not gonna be like this for the rest of the story, so no complaining! :P)**

**Inu's P.O.V.**

_I wonder why this little runt's so clingy to me, anyway. It's startin' to grate on my nerves. _I thought a little irritably, as Kagome's little brother (Sota was his name, I was pretty sure) dragged me into his bedroom. I wanted to please Kagome so I'd agreed to play with the kid, though I would never admit that to her face. She'd be way too smug if I did.

"So what kind of games do you like?" Sota asked me, as he finally released my hand and turned on his television.

"Doesn't matter to me, kid." I replied, as I scrutinized his room. _All this cheap stuff . . . I don't see how people live like this. I guess all that money goes to your head after a while when you live in luxury_.

"Well here, we can just play a fighting game. That's manly enough, isn't it?" Sota grinned up at me as he waved the game case at me, and I simply blinked as he set up the game console and the game itself. He handed me a controller, and I just looked at it. I hadn't really gotten into videogames until I'd met Miroku, but even then, we would usually play pool or cards or some other stupid game. Videogames weren't really on the top of my list of priorities.

Sota sat down cross-legged and I assumed the same position (heh heh, assumed the position) beside him, and we were both silent. I wasn't really sure what to say to him. The kid seemed so eager about everything, and I didn't really know how to act around him. I had always been the little brother. And a half-brother, at that. Sesshomaru, as much as I hated to admit it, had sort of raised me after my mother had died. He hadn't had much choice. It was either that or he had to deal with the law. And he didn't want to fool with humans.

"So, uh, Inuyasha?" Sota's voice was hesitant.

"What is it?" I looked down cautiously at him, wondering what he could possibly want.

"So, uh . . . how did you . . . uh . . . meet Kagome?" he questioned.

"Why do you wanna know that?" I demanded, a little embarrassed that that was the subject he wanted to approach. All things romantic with Kagome were still new and fresh, and I was still trying to sort all of them out myself.

"I'm just curious 'cause Kagome has never had a boyfriend before." Sota replied.

_I remember her mentioning something like that to me before. And plus, it's just plain obvious by how she reacts if you make a move on her. _I thought dryly. "Yeah, I know. Look, it wasn't anythin' special. I was just walking by and I noticed her starin' at me. And it was kinda weird. But, after that . . . I dunno. We just met, really."

"So was it love at first sight?" Sota asked me eagerly, as he started the game. He picked his character and I picked mine before I answered.

"Uh, no." I answered dryly. "No, we got off to a rough start." We started the fight, and I was mainly pressing random buttons because I wasn't familiar with the game.

"Yeah, that Kagome's something else." Sota replied with a laugh, but there was a certain fondness to his tone, so I knew he must look up to his big sister very much.

"She is something else." I agreed.

"But I've never seen her smile the way she smiles when she's around you." Sota admitted. "She usually only smiles like that occasionally, but when she's around you, she does it a whole lot!"

I blushed a little again. "Why ya tellin' me all this mushy stuff anyway?"

Sota glanced at me, and he was smiling. It was kind of addictive, so I had to look away. I wasn't used to people being so nice and friendly to me. I wasn't sure how to act. "Because I like that Kagome's happy. I want her to stay happy. Mom does too. So . . . please keep making her happy, Inuyasha."

"I hope I can. I will as long as she wants me to." I admitted, after a moment, just as I lost to Sota on the game. My brow furrowed. "Now wait a minute. How the hell did you just beat me, you little runt!"

He started giggling. "Because I'm good at this and you aren't."

"You little- I want a rematch!" I glared down at him, and he just laughed as he restarted the match.

Everytime Sota restarted the match, he would win again, and I would just get even more determined to beat him. He was just completely amused by my competitive side, and I was furiously mashing the buttons on the controller in an attempt to beat him just once. If I could beat him just once, that would be enough for me.

And there it was. I had it. Sota's character had just enough HP left that if I hit him one more time he would die and I would win a match. My blood was racing with the adrenaline, and I could feel my ears laying back against my head in my concentration. Sweat beaded on my forehead. I pressed the up pad on the controller and then the right formation of buttons on the right side of the controller to issue the killing blow. Sota's character was trapped, still recovering from my last blow, and there was no way he could escape. I saw Sota's eyes widen out of the corner of my eye at the concept of being defeated, and I let out a laugh of victory, as my character flew down with his fists held high, and . . .

"Hey guys, are you having too much fun without me in here?" Kagome announced her presence by throwing her arms around me from behind, and just that was enough to break my concentration, and my character missed. Sota's character leapt into action, struck mine once, and I died. Again.

"WHAT!" I dropped my ears as Sota laughed and jeered, standing up and doing a victory dance with his controller over his head. I banged my head against mine, growling and cursing under my breath.

"Whoops, sorry . . . was that my fault?" Kagome asked hesitantly.

I looked over my shoulder at her slowly, and when she saw my expression, she laughed nervously and tried to look innocent. "Kagome . . ." I growled.

"Eheheheheh . . . " she held up her hands defensively as I dropped my controller and leaned towards her menacingly. Sota must have sensed danger, for he stopped dancing and paused to watch.

Thankfully for Kagome and unfortunately for me, she was saved in that moment by her grandfather, who poked his head in the room and said, "Young man, I'm carrying a crate full of heavy artifacts into the storage building out by the shrine, and I need a pair of strong arms to help me lift it. Can you come help me?"

"Uh, sure." I stood up, and left Kagome and Sota behind as I followed Kagome's grandfather out a back door of the house. I was amazed to see a small shrine in their backyard surrounded by forest, with a large, sacred tree in the center warded off by spirit tags, as if they didn't want evil getting near the tree. They probably didn't. The tree probably had some significance.

"Those there." he pointed to a few crates sitting by the back door. I picked them up with ease and set them on top of one another, all three of them. The short old man led me toward one of the smaller buildings, and I guessed it was the storage building he spoke of.

Once inside, he pointed to the back. "Just go set those down out there for me, if you will." I went and did so, and even set them all side by side so he could access them easier later. How sweet of me.

When I turned back around, I was met face to face with a paper spirit ward. I looked past it to see Kagome's grandfather wielding it, though he didn't look hostile, he merely looked thoughtful.

"Hmm, I see. So these don't work on you? I thought that would be impossible, that they would fail, but perhaps it's because you're half demon. Your other half must be human." he put it away, and I felt a rush of annoyance.

"You brought me out here just to be a guinea pig?" I demanded, getting pissed.

"No. I brought you out here to have a word with you. And also because those crates needed moving and my old bones can't do that type of work anymore." he added. "Now you listen to me, boy. I knew there would come a time in Kagome's life that she would meet a man and she would be with one, and one would take her away from this family. Never in my life did I bet it would be a demon, half-demon, anything like that. I don't have a problem with that. But I know that spirits are tricky. So do not think for one instant that if you try to deceive me it will get past me. I know that you are sincere now; I can simply tell. But do not ever change your mind."

"As if I would, old man." I snorted. "You think too much. I wouldn't ever hurt Kagome."

"Tell me, young man, have you ever had the demon blood inside you take over?" he asked me, point blank.

"Uh . . . no." I hadn't ever considered that before, to be honest. Of course, every new moon I went through my phase of vulnerability . . . But I hadn't ever gone full demon.

"Well, expect that it's a possibility. Just as every half demon must experience a period of weakness, they can also experience one of particular strength where their demon blood takes over. What triggers these reactions is different for every demon. Since it hasn't been triggered in you at least we know that it isn't something particularly common, which is a relief." he went on.

"Since you know so much about it, how about you tell me why it would be so bad if my demon blood took over." I said skeptically, my ears flicking irritably. I couldn't stand someone knowing so much about me without even knowing it myself. It was both irritating and unsettling.

"Because when the demon took over, you wouldn't be able to differentiate between friend or foe. You would be just as likely to attack Kagome or another human you like as you would an enemy. You would be reduced to nothing more than a bloodthirsty beast, and nothing could stop you. You would feel no pain, and you would not stop killing until you were killed. Such is the nature of half demons when their demon blood takes over." her grandfather explained to me, his tone grave and warning.

I was a little uneasy at the thought of it. "Look, if it hasn't happened yet, I doubt very seriously it's gonna happen. If it hasn't been triggered, that must mean it's not gonna be triggered. So stop badgerin' me about it."

"I'm only warning you. I do not want to receive news that Kagome has been harmed by you because you were triggered into such a state." He replied, justifying his attack.

"You talk as if you've met a half demon who went through this before." I said, as he turned away and started heading to exit the storage building.

"That's because I have." He answered cryptically, before he disappeared.

_Strange old man. Who does he think he is anyway, confrontin' me like that about Kagome and my heritage . . . Still . . . it was nice for the warning. At least if that ever happens I'll know what's going on . . . afterwards. I don't want to think of that happening, because I might hurt Kagome. I couldn't ever forgive myself if I did_. I thought solemnly, raising my hand and looking at my claws, trying to imagine looking at them covered in blood, the blood of someone I cared about. It was sickening.

"Hey."

I looked up, seeing Kagome was there, standing in the entrance to the building. She looked utterly beautiful, with the moonlight shining down on her like that, but I wasn't going to admit it. I watched her as she came inside and came up to me.

"What was that all about? You look upset." she said softly. She was always gentle with me when I needed it, and though, once again, I wouldn't admit it, it was nice to have someone to care about me.

"Hah, as if. I'm fine. I dunno what you're talkin' about." I denied, looking away from her. I could never look at her when I was trying to talk my way out of things, though. I knew she would be able to see right through me anyway.

"Inuyasha." she said simply, and laid her hand on my cheek, turning my face back towards hers. "Don't think you can fool me." she scowled a little. "Is it something my grandpa said? I knew I shouldn't have let him be alone with you! I knew he had to be up to something-"

"No, it's not really even that." I gently pulled her into my arms and laid my cheek against her hair. She was so warm and soft, and her scent was sweet. "He was talking about . . . my demon heritage."

"Was he being racist?" she demanded, about to pull out of my arms and go after him, but I stopped her.

"No, Kagome! Just shut-up and listen!" I sighed, heavily. "He was talkin' about how my demon blood could take over and make me a full demon, and that I could hurt you if I wasn't careful."

"Is that even possible?" she asked.

"Accordin' to that old man it is." I grumbled. "It's never happened to me though."

"Then maybe we shouldn't worry about it." Kagome suggested, always helpful.

"It's not that simple."

"I think you're overthinking it." she pulled back, looking into my eyes. Hers were large, brown, and innocent, and warm. She lifted up and kissed the tip of my nose, then my cheek, then my lips, and it was sort of cute. "Stop thinking about it, Inuyasha. Even if it does happen, it'll be ok. You wouldn't ever hurt me. I know you wouldn't." She smiled at me, and after a moment, I couldn't help smiling back at her. She always had a way with me, and I couldn't explain it.

"Your family is very accepting of me." I admitted, as we headed back to her house.

"Is that a bad thing?" she asked me.

"No, don't be stupid." I chided, though with no bite. "It's nice to be accepted."

"Good. Then you'd better get used to it." she smiled up at me, and I just thought, _Kagome, what have you done to me? _

**Some might say this is a filler chapter, some might not. Either way, it's not. Even if this chapter doesn't have that much happening, it's got significance, don't worry. **

**So, who do you think is responsible for Kikyo's murder? Sesshomaru? Naraku? Or someone else? **


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters pertaining to that series, I just like to have fun with them. :P**

**Oh, and one thing before we get on with the chapter. I've noticed over the last few chapters that I've been getting less and less reviews. To the people who are reviewing regularly, this is not for you, so you can just skip on by it. But for those who are favoriting and reading this, I'd really appreciate it if you left me some type of feedback, even if it's stupid. I mean seriously, because there isn't a point to writing the story and posting it online if you don't get reviews. That's the entire reason you post it online, to know what people think. So please, if you're reading but aren't reviewing, please review, so I can know if you like it. That's all for now. On with the chapter. **

Chapter eight

_"There was a nameless fear inside me. Ever since Kagome's grandfather had warned me of my demon blood, it was as if I was lookin' over my shoulder at every opportunity. I couldn't imagine hurting Kagome in that kind of state. I didn't want to. It was like a nightmare." _

_Inuyasha_

I knew that he wasn't going to admit to it, but Inuyasha was pleased by my family's overall reaction to him, and their acceptance. And it made me happy, to see that he was pleased by it. I wanted him to smile and enjoy himself, and he had, for the most part. When I looked at Inuyasha and my family, it looked as if he had always belonged there. I wasn't going to tell him that now, but maybe later on.

I had noticed something else, though, lately. Over the past few days, as the moon had grown thinner and thinner, Inuyasha had gradually become more and more agitated. He was more snappy, more aggressive, than usual, and it was beginning to wear thin on my patience. And I knew something was bothering him. But no matter how many times I pestered him on the subject, it got me absolutely nowhere. It didn't matter what I said or how I said it; he was aggravated, and it just wasn't working.

Finally, I confronted him about it over lunch with Miroku and Sango. Now, normally I wouldn't bother trying to make a scene in front of them, but since when had Inuyasha ever cared when it came to me? If there was something irking him about me, then he would raise hell right in front of everyone, with God as my witness.

"Inuyasha, I've had it with your attitude!" I declared, grabbing a fistful of his white hair and pulling his face down to mine, so he had to look at me. That was another thing. He'd been avoiding looking at me, as if he was being bothered by Kikyo all over again. "You've been acting weird for a while now and I want to know why! And don't you dare tell me it's nothing because it's not!"

"I ain't got nothin' to tell you!" he said stubbornly, trying to yank out of my grasp, but I held him fast.

"That's a lie." I accused. Miroku and Sango were looking on with wide eyes, and I knew they didn't _dare _to interrupt at a moment like this.

"Look, would ya just drop it already? You've been on my back for days now!" Inuyasha finally escaped from my grasp, and glared off into the distance. Looking away from me. Again.

I turned my angry gaze to Miroku, who had quite the insightful look in his eye. When he saw me staring at him, he quickly looked down and was suddenly very busy with his sandwich.

"Miroku!" I slammed my hand down on the table. "You know something about this! And you're going to tell me!"

"Why, Kagome, I have no idea-" He started, and the innocent act was ridiculously fake. Even Sango didn't look convinced.

"Don't you say a _word_, Miroku, or I'll rip your stupid mouth off!" Inuyasha snarled, suddenly involving himself in the conversation. And then I knew for sure Inuyasha was hiding something.

"That's it! I knew it! I knew you were hiding something! Miroku, you'd better tell me right now!" I threatened, staring him down. He was still staring down at his sandwich, very redfaced, and Sango was beginning to look suspicious.

"Yes, Miroku," Sango joined in the conversation, setting her own sandwich down, "you should tell Kagome if you know something."

"Eheheheh . . ." Miroku mirrored my own nervous laugh almost perfectly. "You two are so funny. I really have no idea what you're talking about. In fact, I think I might be late for my-" as he started to get up, Sango grabbed his ear and pulled him back down with a yelp.

"Oh no you don't." she growled.

"Miroku, it's me or them. Honestly, who are you more afraid of?" Inuyasha demanded, and as if for emphasis, he flashed his claws at Miroku, who gulped.

I decided that taking this approach obviously wasn't working. I was going to have to change my tactics. So, I turned my biggest, most pitiful look on Inuyasha and said softly, "There's something bothering you and you don't even trust me enough to tell me?"

Immediately his entire demeanor changed. He flinched a little and his ears drooped slightly, and he was the one who ended up looking pitiful. "It's-it's not like that . . ."

Miroku rolled his eyes. "Yep. She got him." he muttered conspiratorially to Sango, who simply shook her head knowingly.

I sniffed. "Obviously it is. I'm sure you think I might judge you or something if you tell me. So, maybe I should just leave, since you can't trust me enough." I stood up from the table, and turned my most fearsome gaze on Sango, who sighed and knew what I meant. She stood up as well, in support, and announced, "Kagome, why don't we just get out of here for a while? We don't need these two pigheads anyway."

"Wait, Kagome-" Inuyasha sounded frustrated, and he reached for me, but I pulled out of his grasp and marched away with Sango by my side. I heard him and Miroku bickering before I turned around the corner, and then I dropped my expression and sighed.

"He hasn't been this complicated since the incident with Kikyo . . ." I said softly. "It makes me wonder if this has something to do with her."

"I don't really know." Sango said honestly. "One would think that it does, but . . . assuming is never a good thing. Have you ever heard the saying, when you assume things, it makes an ass out of you and me?"

I laughed. "No, but that's a good one."

Sango smiled. "Then just keep that in mind, and give him the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure it's not anything too terrible. If it was, he would probably be acting a whole lot worse."

"You're right. If it's something really bad, he would have told me by now." _At least, I think so . . ._ I turned the thought away quickly, deciding I wasn't going to be negative. I was going to be positive and stop worrying about it.

"Why don't we go to town and shop around for a while and get your mind off things?" Sango suggested, hooking her arm through mine.

"I don't know . . . I don't have any shopping money . . ." I admitted, blushing a little with embarrassment.

"Well, that's ok. If you see something that you want, just let me know and I'll get it for you." Sango offered.

"Oh Sango, I couldn't do that-" I started, overwhelmed.

"Honestly, kagome, I'm loaded with money." She laughed. "Trust me, shopping for me is something I do often. I have plenty. So just let me know, all right?"

"All right." I gave in, after a moment.

Shopping with Sango was fun, indeed. She bought herself a few outfits, and even bought me some. I wouldn't let her go too expensive with it, but she would just roll her eyes and insist that she was rich and she could handle it, but I was adamant about it, so she just gave up after a while. I didn't know how long Sango and I spent out shopping, but I was having a blast, and everytime my cellphone rang, I ignored it. I had decided to let the issue go, true, but I needed some girl time.

Sango and I came across another shop later on that wasn't full of clothing, but instead, was full of odds bits and ends such as dried up branches, leaves, spices, what looked like animal bones, bows, arrows, etc. It was almost like it was a spell shop. Exchanging apprehensive looks, Sango and I entered the small store.

Behind the counter was an elderly woman with a black patch over one eye, and her long gray hair pulled into a ponytail at the base of her neck. She wore a white and red kimono. She nodded to us when we entered, and asked, "Do the two of you need anything?"

"No, that's all right. We'll just look around." I said politely, as I went to look at a shelf stocked full of crystals. Sango went to the other side of the shop, and I picked up a blue crystal, eyeing it appreciatively before setting it back down. But then, something else caught my eye.

It was a necklace, a rosary, to be exact, set with tons of blue round beads, with a white bead shaped like a claw every five blue beads. I picked it up, and it wasn't plastic, but it wasn't glass either. I wasn't sure what the beads were made of, but the rosary felt strange. It felt like it was alive, almost.

"I see you've taken interest in the beads of subjugation."

I jumped and looked over my shoulder, seeing the old lady standing there, looking at the beads in my hands. "Oh, yeah." I laughed my shock off. "I think they're pretty."

"Aye, pretty, but also very dangerous." she replied. "These beads possess the power to hold the spirit of the being wearing them, if they are youkai or even half youkai. All you need is a word of subjugation to make them effective."

"So, it's like magic?" I questioned, fascinated, as I held the beads up in closer light. It still looked only like a strange rosary, not something magical.

"If you want to call it that." She chuckled. "If you're interested, then I can give you a deal on them."

I had a little bit of personal money on me, so I decided that I could spend it and it would be ok. I had been saving it for something special. And I thought this rosary was pretty, and still manly enough for Inuyasha to wear. I would give it to him as a present. "Ok, I am interested then."

"This is the only set I have in stock, as these enchanted beads are very hard to make. Now, just remember, once you place the beads on the being of your choosing, your word has the power to hold their spirit." She explained, as she led me to the counter.

Luckily, the beads weren't too expensive, and after I purchased them, she placed the necklace in a small brown paper back and handed it back to me. "Thanks a lot." I said, smiling at her. "By the way, what's your name?"

"My name is Kaede. And young lady, I will tell you this. You much resemble my dead sister . . . so that is why I gave you a deal on those beads. Call it a favor to her."

I was surprised. "Oh. I apologize about your sister . . . what was her name?"

Kaede looked down at her hands. "Kikyo."

My eyes widened, but then I decided it would be best if I didn't tell Kaede about the solstice or anything related to Kikyo. "Well, thank you again, Kaede. Have a good day." I bid her, and I collected Sango and we left.

"So what did you get?" Sango questioned, as we headed back to our dorms for the night. It was dark out, by now, so I was grateful to have Sango by my side at this time.

" 'Beads of subjugation'." I quoted. "I'm going to put them on Inuyasha. I really don't get what she meant when she said that these beads can 'hold someone's spirit', but I guess we'll find out."

"Guess so."

Sango and I parted ways with me thanking her again for the clothes, and when I reached my dorm, I realized something was amiss. The door was unlocked, when I normally locked it. My heart pounding slightly, I opened the door as quietly as I could manage, and once inside, I set my shopping bags down at the door and closed the door after myself. I tiptoed towards the kitchen, and flicked the light on. There was no one in the kitchen.

I moved on to the livingroom, and turned towards the right corner of the room, where it was darker than the rest of the room. It looked a bit strange, but I dismissed it, and moved to turn the light on. My fingers had barely grazed the switch when I felt arms grab me from behind and restrain me. A hand clamped over my mouth while another one held my wrists together behind my back. "If you move or try to scream, I'll kill you right now." The voice was familiair, but I couldn't quite place it. And it was still dark, so even if I'd turned around, I wouldn't have been able to recognize my attacker.

"Now, I have a few simple questions for you. You can either nod your head 'yes' or shake your head 'no.' Try to talk and I'll kill you. Are we clear?" the smooth voice went on. I nodded once, shakily. _Inuyasha, if there was any time I would want you to come here uninvited, it would be right now. Please come for me. Please . . ._

"You've been around that filthy halfbreed for so long now . . . are you _with _him?" that was the first question. It surprised me, but I tried to decide whether the truth was wise or not. Then I decided it would be better to tell the truth. So I nodded.

There was a low hiss. "Is that so? Well, I should have known. His scent is in here. And it's on you. Have you been with him a long time?"

I shook my head.

"I don't believe I understand your taste in tainted blood, but . . . those halfbreeds are worse than humans sometimes." there was clear disdain in the voice, and I had deemed that my attacker was definitely male by this point. "Either way . . . my _boss_, for lack of a better term, isn't going to be pleased to hear of your relationship with that halfbreed."

I didn't make any kind of response to that. What could I do, anyway? I was concerned for my life. I wanted to know who this boss was. I wanted to know why he wanted to know. I wanted to know all of this information, but it didn't look like I was going to get it.

"Well, that was mainly all he wanted me to ask you. He told me not to hurt you or kill you unless absolutely necessary . . . but he didn't say anything about having fun with you . . ." The voice trailed off thoughtfully, and his hand slid down from my mouth, and cupped my breast. My eyes widened, and disgust made bile raise in my throat. I choked it back, and started to struggle. The grip on my wrists tightened to the point of pain, and I whimpered and stopped struggling. "Good girl. Fight too much, and you might regret it."

"Get your hands off me!" I hissed, but he simply laughed softly and his hand started making its way south. I decided being killed was better than being raped at this point, and opened my mouth to scream.

However, it wasn't needed. Suddenly the hands were ripped away from me, and I scrambled away before I could be seized again, and turned around, seeing a flash of white silver hair and golden eyes. "Inuyasha!" I gasped.

"You just don't _learn_, do you?" he snarled, as he slashed with his claws at my attacker, who I still couldn't see. I caught a flash of golden hair, and then I caught the scent of blood as Inuyasha's claws sliced into skin. I heard a grunt of pain, blows exchanged, and within minutes, my attacker turned and ran from my dorm. Inuyasha made a move to go after him, but I grabbed his arm and said, "No Inuyasha, don't. Please, just stay with me."

"Sit down." Inuyasha flicked on the light and forced me to sit on the couch. "Are you hurt, Kagome?" he was already inspecting me even as he asked, and I felt a rush of affection for his concern.

"No, I'm fine. Just a little rattled, is all." I said, and then took his arm. There were claw marks running up his arm, and there were thin lines of red blood trailing from them. "You are hurt, though. Let me go get my first aid kit."

When I returned, Inuyasha was holding his arm up to keep from getting blood on my couch. I started cleaning his wound, and as I did, he said quietly, "Looks like I came just in time. I could see that bastard putting his hands on you. I should have killed him."

"Well, he's gone now. You saved me. And that's what matters." I said softly, as I wrapped bandages around his arm.

"It does matter. If I was here sooner, this wouldn't have happened. I should have been here to protect you!" I could tell Inuyasha was really beating himself up about it, and it made me feel bad.

"Inuyasha, stop it." I looked at him sternly. "You saved me, and that's enough. Now just drop it. Do you know who that guy was?"

"I couldn't see him that well in the dark, but I think it was Leonard. And I told you he would come to your dorm!" Inuyasha gloated, baring his fangs at me.

"Leonard?" I was confused. "Why would he do this, after all this time? What's the purpose? And who was that boss, he was talking about?"  
"He has a boss?"

"That's what he said. He asked me about you. If we were together. And if we'd been together for long." I answered, thoughtful. "I don't know why he'd want to know that. Or who he was working for that would want to know that."

"I can think of a few." Inuyasha muttered, as I gently kissed the palm of his hand.

"Well, obviously we underestimated Leonard." I replied, as I scooted closer to Inuyasha on the couch and leaned my head on his shoulder. "Let's not worry about it right now, though."

"Kagome, this isn't somethin' you should just brush aside." he said angrily. "That guy tried to rape you."  
"If there's something going on we'll find out soon enough." I took Inuyasha's face in my hands, and turned it towards mine, so he had to look at me. "Relax."

He huffed, but didn't argue. "I thought you were still mad at me for this morning."

"I am. I'm furious." I murmured, as I laid against his chest. His arms wrapped around me.

"You sound furious." his claws traced up and down my arms. "I don't like his scent on you."

"Then put your scent on me." I lifted my face to his, and kissed his surprised lips gently.

"K-kagome, you do realize what that means, don't you?" he demanded, his face turning a few shades of red.

I raised my eyebrows. "Obviously not what I was thinking. What does it mean?"

"It means . . . mating." Inuyasha looked like he would almost choke on the word.

"Oh. _Oh_." I giggled nervously. "Oh, well, I didn't mean that."

Inuyasha muttered something about 'tease' but I ignored him. "No, I'm still mad at you. I'm just choosing not to show it because you're hurt." I informed him. "But, I got you something today when Sango and I went out. A present."

"You got me a present? What is it?" he looked curious, as I slid out of his embrace for a minute and went to the front door, where all of my bags laid. I picked them up and carried them into the livingroom and set them down by the tv, before grabbing the brown paper bag that contained the beads of subjugation. I pulled them out, and went to Inuyasha.

"I got you this rosary. I think it's pretty, and it suits you." I showed it to him, and he glowered down at it, looking at it suspiciously.

"Pretty? Feh! I wouldn't be caught dead wearin' somethin' like that." Inuyasha declared, turning his nose haughtily up at the gift.

"So that's really what you say about this? You won't take it after I got it for you?" I asked angrily. _Geez, why does he always have to be so impossible? Sometimes I wonder how I could have fallen for such a jerk. But they do say that love isn't something you can explain. Oh well._

Inuyasha had the grace to look a little guilty at that. "But Kagome, it's _girly_."

"Oh, it is not. Here." I slid it over his head and pulled his hair out from under it, situating it around his neck. "There. Now, don't you like it?" Inuyasha wore a red muscle shirt, and the rosary actually fit with it quite well.

"Hmph. I'm only wearin' it because you'll probably start cryin' if I don't." he muttered, but I knew it was all an act. I smiled, glad he had finally accepted the gift.

"I also got new clothes. Do you want to see?" I was in a good mood, despite what had happened a little earlier with Leonard, and I wanted to spend this time with Inuyasha to get closer to him. He was my boyfriend, after all. Before Inuyasha could protest, I whipped out a yellow dress and showed it to him. "Isn't it pretty? Do you want me to put it on so you can see?"

"Uh, sure. Kagome, look, I know you don't want to, but maybe we really should go after Leonard-" Inuyasha began, as I stood up and danced to go change into the dress.

"Now, no peeking while I get changed, ok?" I chided him, completely brushing aside his warning.

When I emerged after changing, I came out for Inuyasha to see, twirling this way and that, displaying my new dress. It had thin straps and was tight on the waist, just to flow out at the hips. It was a pale yellow color, one that went well with my skin, and trimmed with lace at the hem. It was quite simple, but elegant and pretty.

"What do you think?" I asked shyly.

Inuyasha was staring. A slow blush illuminated his features. "Kagome, it's . . . you look . . ."

"Cat got your tongue?" I teased, though I knew he definitely liked it by his expression and lack of words.

"Tch. Don't be ridiculous."

I moved over to him, and saw something laying in his lap. When I saw what it was, my face turned red. "Eh? Inuyasha, why do you have my lingerie?"

He turned redder than before. "I, uh . . . I saw it, and I thought, since you were trying stuff on . . ."  
"That I could model lingerie for you? Ugh!" I snatched it up from him, and suddenly the words of Kaede came into mind. _"These beads possess the power to hold the spirit of the being wearing them, if they are youkai or even half youkai. All you need is a word of subjugation to make them effective."_

_But what would it do, even if I did figure out a word? And what word would I use? Let's see . . ._ I looked at Inuyasha, and he was waiting fearfully for the beating that he knew he was no doubt going to get. He was a half youkai, and a half dog youkai at that, from the fangs to the claws to the cute ears on top of his head. _A word to hold his spirit? That's it!_

I had no idea if it was going to work or not, and I was praying that something would happen. If it didn't, I could just laugh it off. But, it was worth a try. "Inuyasha, sit boy."

To my amazement, the beads around his neck began to glow a bright pink light, and Inuyasha had enough time to look down in the beads in puzzlement before they suddenly yanked him down and his face smacked into the floor with great force.

"Wow, it actually worked!" I felt sort of bad for doing it, but to know that it actually worked was something else. I laughed softly to myself as Inuyasha picked his face up from the floor and snarled, "What the hell is this thing!" grabbing at the beads and trying to pull them off. But everytime he tried, they just flashed that bright pink color again, and they wouldn't come off.

"So you can't take them off, either. Hmm." I tapped my chin thoughtfully. "That old woman really wasn't lying. This is great. Do you have any idea how much I can get you back for with these?"

Inuyasha suddenly looked terrified at that thought. "Get me back? So you just put these things on me and you knew they were goin' to do this?"

"I had no idea, actually." I replied, far too innocently. I winked at him. "I just know that the woman who sold them to me said they had the power to hold the spirit of youkai or half youkai with a word of subjugation. I was originally going to buy them for you because I thought they were pretty, but this was a nice side effect."

"A nice side effect! You just slammed my face into the ground you little-"

"Ah ah ah!" I waggled my finger warningly at him. "If you tempt me too much, I might just tell you to si-"

Inuyasha leapt up and clamped his hands over my mouth. "No, don't say it. That really hurt."

I just laughed. "Oh Inuyasha, don't be a baby. Besides, you've had that coming ever since you practically molested me in your tub."

"Once again, you weren't complaining." he retorted smugly, looking rather proud of himself. "You were moani-"

"Ugh. Sit boy."

"NGH!"

The next day, Inuyasha was more edgy than he'd been thus far. I had checked my calendar earlier before I'd left the house, and I saw that it was the night of the new moon. And I knew, instinctively, that because it was the new moon had something to do with how Inuyasha was acting. As I had noticed earlier, the smaller the moon got, the more edgy that Inuyasha got. Now that the moon would be completely gone tonight, I wondered if he would be back to normal the next day when the moon was back.

I mainly avoided picking any type of fight with Inuyasha, because he was going off on anyone who even looked at him in a way he didn't like. I simply sighed and shook my head at his behavior, because I knew that trying to fight him about it was useless.

I also noticed something else, though. Throughout the day, I saw more and more of Naraku. Ever since that one day that I had encountered him, I hadn't seen too much of him after that. But today, it seemed that every corner that I turned, he was there, and he was watching me. His crimson eyes never once left me, and when I would catch him looking at me, he would simply smirk, again, as if he knew something that I didn't, and it began to give me goosebumps. It also didn't escape Inuyasha's notice. Whenever he would see this exchange, he would begin to growl, and I would have to put my hand on his arm or threaten him with the necklace to keep him from going after Naraku.

Inuyasha informed me after lunch that he was going home with Miroku and was going to spend the night there. And I knew it was to hide whatever had been bothering him from me, since it was the night of the new moon. I had put that much together. And I was a little annoyed about it, but I figured again, that if it was something bad enough, Inuyasha would tell me.

So after Inuyasha was gone with Miroku, I was walking down the sidewalk, and heading around the university to go into the cemetery. I figured it would be good to visit Kikyo's grave, now that I had some suspects as to her death. I was hoping that maybe I could communicate with her. Maybe we could find out, confirm who had killed her, and avenge her death.

When I reached Kikyo's grave, I slowly crouched down and sat on the grass, waiting. I glanced up at the top of the hill at the end of the cemetery, where the cherry blossom tree sat. I had vivid memories of Kikyo and Inuyasha's lovemaking under that tree, but I pushed those aside. They were still painful, and seeing that tree up close now just served to make the wounds even more fresh. I sighed.

"But I want to avenge your death anyway, Kikyo." I said softly, hoping she would hear me. "Despite all that. I've found suspects. People who might be responsible. And if we can avenge your death, you can truly rest, right? That's what you need? Kikyo, please answer me."

"Talking to the dead now, are you? Kikyo is long gone. She can't hear you now."

I jumped at the voice and looked, and was surprised to see Naraku. "What do you want?" I asked, none too kindly.

"Is that hostility, Kagome? Please tell me what I've done to receive such a reaction from you." he took a step toward me, and I felt my hackles raise, whispering danger, that he was very, very dangerous. This man was the potential killer to Kikyo, and I had to be on my guard.

"Don't come near me, Naraku." I warned him, standing up. The back of my knees touched Kikyo's gravestone, and I realized that no one was around to help me if he decided to try something. No one could save me.

"Kagome, your suspicion of me hurts. I heard what you said a moment ago. That you have suspects as to who is responsible for Kikyo's death. Am I one of those suspects? Is that why you're treating me so?" he had a smirk on his handsome face, and it just made him look cruel. My heart was pounding.

"What if it is? It seems awfully strange that you seemed to be such close friends with Kikyo and had an attraction to her. And that she died, when you didn't end up with her. All these things that seem like coincidences . . . they really aren't, are they?" I demanded, accusing him. "You aren't fooling anyone, Naraku. You killed her, didn't you?"

He smiled faintly, tilting his head to the side, his wavy black hair pulling in the wind, his crimson eyes practically glowing in the dim light as he watched me. "You've got nothing but suspicions and false accusations. I did not kill Kikyo. If I loved her, what purpose would it serve me to kill her? That's obviously something you did not consider."

"And what if it was a, 'if I can't have her, then no one else can' deal?" I demanded, recalling Sango's words. "What if you were so stung in the ego that you decided you would kill her so she couldn't belong to anyone?"

Naraku's smile vanished. "You presume too much, and your words will land you in trouble, girl." I gasped as there was a rush of wind, and he was suddenly in front of me. He seized my wrists in his hands, and I struggled, but he was far too strong. He towered over me, and in that moment, I realized that I had no where to run.

"What do you want from me? You've been following me all day." I tried to yank away once more, but he held me fast.

"What do I want? Nothing that you aren't able to give. You are cleary related to Kikyo somehow, for how closely you resemble her. But you are so entirely different. You are much more lovely, much more desireable." Naraku pulled me closer, until I was against him, and I began to struggle in earnest. "For some strange, unknown reason, Kikyo did not return my feelings in her life. I was her solid support, and that was not enough. But you? You, I can have. It seems I have another chance to claim what I want. And I will have you, Kagome."

"You've got to be kidding me! You disgust me! I don't belong to anyone!" I shouted in his face.

"Not even to Inuyasha?" Naraku challenged.

"Loving someone doesn't mean owning them." I said angrily. "And you obviously have something to learn about love if that's what you really think. Love is about letting the other person go if you have to, for them to be happy. It's about wanting what's in their best interest, even if it isn't with you. You didn't love Kikyo. You were obsessed with her."

"Perhaps you're right. But it doesn't change the fact that I want you. And I will have you, Kagome. I already lost once to Inuyasha. I will not lose to that filthy half demon again."

"But you won't win, either! Not if I have a say in it. Get your hands off me-mmm!" Naraku suddenly kissed me hard, and I clenched my eyes shut as I tried to pull away. He clasped the back of my head with one of his hands, using the other to hold my wrists together, and I couldn't pull away. His lips were cold and cruel, and I felt my stomach knot with disgust. _Please, someone help me. Anyone. Please._

"Get your hands off the girl."

The was enough to break Naraku's concentration, and he pulled back. I gasped for air, and he released me. I crumpled into a pitiful pile at his feet, breathing fast.

"Sesshomaru, what a pleasant surprise." Naraku was smiling again, but it was that cruel half smile, as if he was taunting you. "I was not expecting to see you in such a place."

_Sesshomaru!_ I turned, seeing it was indeed Inuyasha's older half brother. He was staring coldly at Naraku, and I could practically sense the danger roiling off him in waves. "Sesshomaru . . ." I whispered. _But why? Why has he come to save me?_

"Naraku, you are a disgusting creature. Forcing yourself upon this human woman out of your own lustful desires and out of spite for my brother. It's despicable. Who would have thought you, with so much supposed power, to act in such a petty manner?" Sesshomaru smirked. "Come now, surely you ought to be able to do more than this."

"Who are you to question my actions? They're no concern to you. You, who claim to hate mortals with a passion." Naraku challenged, and his own smile was gone. I could sense that if these two got into a fight, I was in a very dangerous place being inbetween them.

"You, girl, come here. Behind me." Sesshomaru ordered, and normally I would have argued, but even I wasn't going to at a time like this. I rose and moved to follow his orders, but Naraku's cold hand clamped around my wrist and dragged me into his arms.

"If you want her, come and get her." Naraku said tauntingly.

Sesshomaru's golden eyes narrowed. Suddenly he was in front of us, and Naraku quickly pushed me to the side as Sesshomaru's claws swiped at his face and he dodged. I scrambled away as they began to fight, trying to find some place to hide safely. It was growing darker and darker, and it was nearly nighttime.

"Well, look what we have here. Naraku told me to arrive, but apparently he's already lost what he came for." black boots appeared before my vision, and I looked up, seeing Leonard. He grabbed me by my neck and hoisted me up, and I attempted to kick him, but my kicks didn't even seem to affect him. He simply chuckled at my efforts.

"Let . . . me . . . go!" I managed to ground out, around his grip on my neck.

"Inuyasha, there they are!" Over Leonard's shoulder, I could see three figures running our way. Miroku, Sango, and another guy, with long black hair and brown eyes. He wore the same clothes that Inuyasha had been wearing earlier today, and the same rosary around his neck . . .

"Inuyasha?" I gasped.

"So you're a mere mortal now?" Leonard's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, as he turned to look at my friends without releasing me. "I should have known, you being the half demon that you are."

Inuyasha was human indeed. His eyes were brown, his hair was black, and he had normal human ears, instead of dog ears. His face was definitely the same, and so was his attitude, as he snarled, "Let go of her, you bastard, or I'll rip your throat out!"

Leonard threw back his golden head and laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. As if you could hurt me in that state."

"Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha looked beyond us to where Naraku and Sesshomaru were still fighting around Kikyo's grave, and then he looked back to Leonard. "Kagome, what the hell is going on here?"

"Leonard, it is time for us to leave!" Naraku called, and I looked, seeing Sesshomaru was temporarily on the ground, and Naraku was running toward us. Leonard looked at me one last time before he dropped me, and raced to Naraku's side.

"Don't think for a moment that this is over. I will kill you, Sesshomaru, along with your filthy half brother Inuyasha. And Kagome." Naraku looked to me, even as Leonard reached his side. "You will be mine." Purple mist swirled around the two, and they vanished.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha ran over to me, along with Miroku and Sango. Sesshomaru rose to his feet, and stared at the spot that Naraku and Leonard had vanished a moment longer before he turned his attention to the group around me.

"Tell me what is going on before I go insane." Inuyasha ordered.

"I came here, to the graveyard, to visit Kikyo. I hoped I could contact her spirit and tell her who I thought was responsible for her death. And I thought if I told her who I thought was responsible she would remember something and be able to tell me who killed her. And then we could avenge her death. But . . . Naraku followed me here. And I accused him of killing Kikyo, but he sort of sidestepped it. I mean, he told me he didn't kill her, but, I don't see why he would lie about it. And then he . . . he told me he wanted me the same way he wanted Kikyo, and pretty much that he would stop at nothing to have me. He kissed me, and I couldn't get away." Inuyasha looked outraged at this, and even Miroku and Sango's faces turned to expressions of disgust. "Then . . . Sesshomaru showed up. And he saved me." I looked over my shoulder to Sesshomaru, who was eyeing all of us with an impassive expression.

"Why did you do it?" Inuyasha demanded of his brother. "You told me once Kagome wasn't worth a thing to you. Why did you save her?"  
"Do not presume to question my actions, little brother." Sesshomaru said coldly. "It wasn't out of any feelings towards the girl. That, I assure you of. However, if anyone is going to bring harm to you, or hurt you by killing that girl, it will be me."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but . . . even though you're a racist bastard . . . you saved Kagome. Thank you." Inuyasha said grudgingly, as I clutched him and buried my face in his shoulder.

"Yes. Thank you, Sesshomaru." I said softly, knowing he would hear me.

He didn't answer either of us. He simply turned and started walking away, and no one tried to stop him. It was my second encounter with the strange demon, and he had saved me. And something told me it wasn't because of what he had said.

"Inuyasha, do you think that maybe . . . Sesshomaru saved Kagome, not because he wants to kill her to hurt you later on . . . but because, you already lost Kikyo? And he somewhat cares if you lose another woman you care about?" Miroku asked, after a moment.

"Feh, don't be ridiculous. Sesshomaru ain't got a single sympathetic bone in his body." Inuyasha grouched, pulling me to my feet. Miroku, Sango and I exchanged glances, and I knew that we were all agreed with what Miroku said. Believe it or not, I thought that Sesshomaru did care, to a certain degree, about his little brother, whether he would admit it or not.

"Well, now that I've told my story, let's get out of here. I don't want to be here anymore." I said, as I stood. Inuyasha and the others followed suit.

"I think we've all got a lot to talk about. You're shaking, Kagome, and you're pale. Let's get you out of here." Sango put her arm around me, and started to lead me out of the graveyard.

The four of us went to Inuyasha's house, since that seemed the safest place to be at the moment. Sango sat beside me on the couch, holding my hand consolingly as Inuyasha and Miroku sat in the chairs near the couch.

"Before we talk about any of this, I want to know what's going on with you, Inuyasha. I want to know why you're human." I looked at him, and he sighed.

"Every month on the night of the new moon I turn into a human, just until the sun rises. I lose all of my powers and feel human emotions to the utter extent. It's when I'm at my most vulnerable and I hate it. That's all there is to say." Inuyasha said gruffly, refusing to look at me.

"So this is what you've been hiding from me. I thought it was a lot worse, honestly. I don't see why you're so touchy about it. It was like you were having a period, for pete's sake." I replied, watching him. He just harrumphed and turned away.

"Every half demon goes through a period when they lose their powers." Miroku explained to me. "And for Inuyasha, it's every new moon."

"So when the sun rises, you'll be a half demon again? It's not permanent?" I asked Inuyasha.

"Weren't you payin' attention? Of course. When the sun rises I'll be half demon."

"Well, now that that's cleared up, I'll just say this . . . Inuyasha! You were such a jerk that whole time!" I yelled at him, and he flinched. "All this time I was so worried about you, and you wouldn't even tell me what was bothering you! Sometimes I wonder why I have any consideration for you at all!"

"Are you done?" He demanded.

"Yep. I think I got that out of my system." I said cheerfully, as Sango just patted my hand.

"Good. Then we need to talk about Naraku. I knew he was up to something, starin' at you all that time." Inuyasha muttered. "And apparently it's gotten dangerous. From now on, you can't be alone, Kagome. Not if he's gonna attack you like that. I can't guarantee Sesshomaru or I will be around to save you all the time. It seems that all of this stuff happens when you're alone. And of course, Naraku decided to make his move on the night of the new moon, when I was defenseless to stop him. It was as if he _knew_ I wouldn't be able to stop him tonight."

"Maybe he did." Sango suggested. "It would make sense, as to why he hasn't tried something before now. Maybe he was just waiting for this night, because he knew that you would be hiding, and that Kagome would be unprotected and he could make his move. But he didn't count on Sesshomaru showing up and stopping him."  
"But how!" Inuyasha slammed his fist down on the coffee table, startling us all. "Damn it! How could he know I would be weak tonight?"

"I wouldn't put it past Naraku to have tricked the information out of someone close to you." Miroku interjected quietly. "There are only a select few who know about Inuyasha's state of weakness, who knew about it before now. There's me, Sesshomaru, Myoga, Kikyo, and Totosai."

"Well you can rule out all of those except Sesshomaru." Inuyasha said immediately.

"Hold on, Inuyasha, I wouldn't say that." I interrupted. "Sesshomaru seems like a pretty self serving guy. I don't see why he'd go and tell Naraku about it just to turn around and save me from Naraku." I reasoned.

"Who knows? Nobody can understand the way Sesshomaru works." Inuyasha retorted.

"Well, I'd say that we can rule out Totosai, Myoga, Miroku, and Sesshomaru." Sango said.

"So you're saying Kikyo told him?" Inuyasha demanded, and Miroku and I exchanged fearful glances. Sango was treading dangerous ground, even daring to suggest Kikyo would do such a thing.

"Well, I'm not saying that she did it with bad intentions. Think about it, Inuyasha. Wasn't Kikyo somewhat close to Naraku? What if she mentioned it at some point and he caught on? None of the other people are ever around Naraku to tell him, and certainly weren't friends with him. Kikyo is the only reasonable suspect." Sango explained quickly.

Inuyasha calmed down slightly at hearing that. "Well, even if she did do it, there's nothin' we can do about it now. Naraku knows about it and obviously is usin' it to his advantage to get to Kagome."

"We're all clear on Naraku's goal now. And his goal is evidently to have Kagome for himself, since he couldn't have Kikyo before. I'm in complete agreement with Inuyasha in that you shouldn't be alone." Miroku looked at me. "It's far too dangerous, and one of the three of us should be with you at all times. Obviously Naraku is determined, and he will stop at nothing to accomplish obtaining you, even if it means taking you by force. Apparently he isn't below that."

"And we can also conclude that Leonard and Naraku are in this together." Inuyasha added. "Leonard assaulted Kagome in her dorm the other day. I got there just in time to scare him off. But he's working for Naraku. As to why, I have no idea. I don't know why those two are in league together, but we need to watch out for both of them."

"And I think we can also be clear that Leonard and Naraku are responsible for Kikyo's death. There's not a single doubt in my mind that those two were in league and are behind it." Sango said, and there was determination in her voice. "If we're going to avenge Kikyo's death, those two are our targets."

"But here's something else. How in the world are we going to avenge her death? Are we just going to kill Naraku and Leonard?" I asked. "We can't just go around killing in this day and age and just get away with it. All of us we'll be thrown in jail. And killing isn't something that I take lightly. I've never killed anyone before. I've never even considered killing something or someone . . . just thinking about it . . ." I trailed off.

"Kagome, Leonard and Naraku are heartless demons. They don't care about you, they don't care about me, they don't care about anyone but themselves and their own gain. They kill and take what they want and kill anyone who stands in their way." Inuyasha looked me straight in the eyes. "If we don't kill them first, they'll kill us."

"I guess you're right." I said softly, absorbing his words.

"Well, either way, it's getting late, and we all need rest after the night we've had. I doubt very seriously Naraku will try anything again tonight after failing already once today." Miroku said quietly. "Kagome, Sango, the two of you get some rest. Inuyasha and I will watch over you as you sleep."

**So, now we have some more information, and the plot is starting to thicken. Sesshomaru acted on the kindness of his heart, after all. Who knew someone like him could have an ounce of goodness?**

**Well, what were you thoughts on the beads of subjugation being introduced? What did you think of the chapter overall? **


	9. Chapter 9

**Warning: For sexual situations in the chapter. They are a little graphic so you've been warned. If you're under eighteen you aren't supposed to be here anyway, but if you are over eighteen and that stuff bothers you, I've marked that section with an asterisk so you can avoid it to your heart's content. **

**Thank you everyone who reviewed that last chapter. I didn't want to be harsh about it, so I'm sorry if it came off as that. But I appreciate every single review I get and I respond to each and every one of them. So, I hope that everyone is looking forward to this chapter, because it's a good one. So, here you go. **

Chapter nine

_"Dog demons have a thing with mating. Making love with someone and marking them during the act symbolizes that you've claimed them as your mate. I was always hesitant about it, about makin' anyone that intimate to me, even Kikyo. I never claimed her. But Kagome . . . it seemed like that was the thing I wanted to do the most. I wanted the world to know she was mine."_

_Inuyasha_

I was awakened later that night by a dark figure entering the bed I'd obviously been placed in. I recognized it as Inuyasha's bed by the moonlight pouring onto the bedspread from the glass doors leading to the balcony.

The figure slipped under the covers next to me and I felt a warm, muscular arm slide around my waist. I turned, facing the figure, and upon seeing brown eyes and black hair, I knew it was Inuyasha.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?" he whispered, as if he were afraid we would be overheard.

"Yeah, but it's ok. I'm not sleeping well anyway." I reassured him, snuggling into his chest. "So you haven't changed back into a demon yet?"

"No. It's still an hour or two before dawn."

I was silent for a moment, before I started thinking about the solstice, with Kikyo. _When Inuyasha made love to her, he made it as if he knew exactly what he was doing the entire time, as if he'd done it before. I wonder if she was his first, or if what those girls who were talking about him at the beginning of the year said was true. If he's really 'wild in bed'. Does he have a reputation? A sexual one? I've never really asked._ "Inuyasha . . ."  
"Yeah?"

"Was your first time with Kikyo?" I forced myself to ask him, finally.

"My first time?" he looked at me, confused, before it registered. "Oh. Well, uh . . . why do you wanna know that for, anyway?"

"Because. Just answer the question."  
". . . No. She wasn't my first." he said finally, and at least he didn't sound proud of it.

"Then who was?" I asked, dying to know.

"I don't remember Kagome. Look, can we just drop the topic? I don't want to discuss this with you because it'll just make you upset."

_That's probably true. But still, it bothers me._ I huffed. "Fine." I was pouting, and Inuyasha noticed.

"So why did you want to know, Kagome?" he persisted.

"Well, because . . . I was thinking . . ." I looked down, feeling my face warming considerably. "Things with Naraku have been getting dangerous lately . . . and . . . something could end up happening to me. I could end up losing you. Because you already lost Kikyo. The same thing could happen to me."

"Kagome, don't even say that-" Inuyasha interrupted, looking horrified.

"No, just let me finish. I want to be prepared for that happening. And . . . I want to give you something, if that's going to happen. I . . . want _you _to be _my _first, Inuyasha." I concluded, shyly, as I looked at him from underneath my lashes.

"Kagome . . ." There was so much tenderness in his eyes that my heart crumpled. He seemed to be struggling to form words. "You'd . . . give that to me?"

I nodded, my heart pounding with nervousness. "That is, if you want me."

"Kagome, of course I want you. I thought that would be obvious by now." He tipped my chin up and kissed me, and I sighed. He was so warm. When he pulled back, we were both breathing a little faster. "Were you wanting to . . . right now?"

"Well . . . where's Miroku and Sango?" I asked in return, resting my hands on his chest.

"Downstairs." His hands were slipping down, to hold my hips.

"Myoga?" My breathing was uneven, as I tilted my head back, and his lips kissed along my pulse point.

"Asleep." his voice was getting rougher, and I could tell he wanted me, and very badly.

"Then I don't see a better time." I had barely gotten the words out before his mouth was on mine, and he pulled my hips tightly against his.

Honestly, I had never really known what to expect for my first time, but I guess there was a part of me that expected it to be slow and gentle. It had those elements, but it was sensual, as well, because Inuyasha was experienced and he wasn't awkward. He knew what he was doing and exactly how to get me to respond the way he wanted me to.

He rolled me onto my back and his tongue was circling mine, and his hands were running over my waist. I was trembling under his touch, pleasure washing over me from every stroke of his fingertips. He was testing me, trying to judge my reactions and be gentle with me. But he was still a man, and a half demon at that. His control had to end somewhere.

My breath caught when he pulled back and he cupped my breasts gently. And my body, embarrassingly, responded. Inuyasha's eyes flashed when he saw and felt that clear reaction through my shirt.

His hands left me and he gripped the hem of my shirt, pulling it up and off me, tossing it somewhere. My bra was next, and I forced myself not to cover up, telling myself that it was Inuyasha, that there was nothing to be afraid of. I loved him and trusted him, and I knew that he loved what he saw.

I made sure to remove his own shirt before I let him go any farther. I just gazed at his chest for a moment, appreciating his beauty, before running my hands over the smooth, hard muscles, feeling them flex and contract at my touch. A low growl rumbled in his chest, and then his mouth came down passionately on mine, and I thought, _I've never felt so happy or peaceful as I do right now. Inuyasha is home to me, and where he is is where I belong._

Inuyasha finally withdrew, allowing me to breathe, until his lips found my neck. He rained soft kisses down from my collarbone, and over my chest, and my back instinctively arched when he suckled my breast. My fingers tangled in his hair, clasping him to me, and his name escaped my lips in a helpless plea. I was aroused beyond reasonable measures and I wanted, no, _needed_, him to assuage the undeniable ache between my thighs.

He slipped my pants and underwear off my hips, and I made quick work of his own pants. He wore nothing underneath, and when I saw him there, in the moonlight, my breath caught, because I had never seen anything more beautiful, but neither more intimidating.

"Will it fit?" I asked, a little fearfully, as I looked between his thighs. It looked so big.

"Yeah. Relax, Kagome." he pulled my lips to his in a tender kiss.

My heart skipped a beat as he reached down, and his hand slipped between my thighs. Inuyasha held my eyes, and I winced as he slid a finger inside me. There was a slight burn, but soon my body adjusted, and he began a steady pace, being completely gentle in his motions. Soon I couldn't stop the sighs and gasps coming from me, and when he added another finger, it only served to increase the sensations.

Just when I thought I was going to explode, he stopped. I looked at him, a question in my eyes, and I knew, by the look in his own eyes, what was coming next. Inuyasha parted my thighs and laid between them, and I held his gaze, nervous, but trusting him. His were full of many different emotions. Tenderness, affection, nervousness, excitement, and a lot of others that I couldn't identify if I tried.

"Are you sure, Kagome?" he asked me, and his voice was rough with arousal, but also with understanding, if I said no.

"I'm sure of you." I said softly, and another emotion, a new one, flickered through his eyes. His brown eyes grew very soft as he looked at me, and I thought I knew what that new emotion was, but I wasn't going to confront him about it now.

Inuyasha began to press into me, and his dark hair slipped down into his face, which was full of concentration. I could feel the burn down below, the stretching, the stinging, and I dug my fingers into his arms to help myself with the illusion that this would soothe the pain. I gritted my teeth, wondering if he was going to split me in half.

"Just a little more." he breathed, mainly for my benefit, and pressed against something inside me. Inuyasha gripped my hips, and with one quick, hard thrust, he broke through the barrier and was fully sheathed inside me.

I whimpered at the pain, tears stinging my eyes. Inuyasha just held me close, threading his fingers through my hair and waiting until I was ready. It was really quite sweet, and his patience touched me.

When the pain had subsided to a dull ache, I rolled my hips against his. Apparently I caught him off guard, for a small, sexy sound escaped him, and his hips moved in response to mine, forcing a gasp from my lips.

"I'm sorry Kagome, I didn't mean to-" he started, worried he'd hurt me.

"No, that was good. It's ok. It didn't hurt me." I reassured him breathlessly, and kissed his lips gently. He looked into my eyes, and his were nearly black with desire, and I knew he was really trying for me.

Inuyasha began gently rocking his hips into mine, and I could tell how much he was restraining. I moved my hips with his, meeting his thrusts, and began to kiss his neck, running my fingers over his back. Evidently I was driving him crazy, for he moaned and his thrusts began to become more rough, his lips finding mine and kissing hard.

I gasped his name as pressure began to build up inside me, and I knew that I wasn't going to last much longer. This was my first time, so I wasn't really surprised that the actual intercourse wasn't going to last that long. Inuyasha didn't seem to be doing much better, for his breathing was hard and fast, and his thrusts were growing irregular. His fingers were holding onto my hips for dear life, it seemed.

I cried out as warmth rushed through my body and the pressure released, and a few seconds later Inuyasha moaned my name and then his hips stilled.

He laid on top of me, breathing fast, as I was. I began to stroke his hair, and he made a contended sound, sliding out of me and then wrapping his arms around me. He held me close as he rolled onto his back.

"So did you like it?" I asked shyly, as we laid there.

"Oh Kagome . . ." He sighed. "Do you have to ask?"

We were both silent after that for a while. After a time, I noticed that sunlight was beginning to peek into the room. I looked to Inuyasha, and watched in amazement as his hair turned white, his fingernails turned to claws, his human ears vanished and were replaced by dog ears, his eyes turned golden, and his canine teeth grew to fangs in his mouth. All of this happened in less than a minute, and it was fascinating to watch.

I glanced down between his thighs, and blushed a little. I had never seen a naked man besides Inuyasha, though I had known what they looked like. But seeing one up close and personal was so entirely different than listening to stories or seeing pictures in your biology book.

I hesitated, before I reached down on the spur of the moment, and brushed his most intimate area with my fingertips. I heard his sharp intake of breath, and then he asked, "What are you doing, Kagome?"

"Exploring. This is all new to me." I replied, as I started stroking my fingers back and forth, watching in extreme fascination as he grew bigger and stiffer under my touch.

"Yeah, well, you're going to have a repeat of what just happened a little while ago if you keep it up. Don't tease me Kagome." He warned.

I blushed again, but didn't stop. I wanted to tease him, and see what would happen if I pushed him to his breaking point. Even before, he had been controlled for the most part. There were only a few times that his control had seemed to break. I wanted him to completely lose it. Briefly, I wondered if something was wrong with me to want such a thing, and then decided that even if there was, I was going to do it anyway.

"_Kagome_." He reached down and grabbed my hand, and I was pleased, because he was completely aroused by this point, and when I looked at his face, his golden eyes were practically blazing, and I knew he wanted me. "Stop that."

I bit my lower lip, and he watched me suspiciously as I lifted up, and kissed him. He kissed me back after a moment, and I deemed it safe to slip my tongue into his mouth. He made a contended sound and laid back, and his grip on my hand slackened. Pleased with this response, I reached down and slid my hand around him.

"Kagome!" he pushed me back and held my shoulders, glaring at me.

"What? Do you not want to make love to me again?" I demanded, hurt.

"Ugh, you stupid girl. It's not that. You're probably still sore. It'd hurt like hell if we did it again right now." he explained, looking frustrated. "And you're teasin' the hell outta me."

"Well, I think I'll be ok. I . . . want to do it again." I admitted, blushing at the admission. Instead of blushing, his eyes darkened, and he pulled me up to him, kissing me roughly, his tongue massaging mine. I could feel his fangs, and I shivered with delight as his claws ran down my back.

************* (**Ok, it's over now**)

"You have no idea what you're playin' with, Kagome." he whispered, as he kissed a trail down my neck. I shivered again. "If I make love to you again right now . . . I'll claim you."

"Claim me?" Now that got my attention. I pulled back, so he couldn't distract me.

Inuyasha sighed. "Every dog demon can take a mate once in their life. And mates are for life. It happens by having sex and having the demon bite you during the act. It's . . . like a ritual. And I have a very strong desire to claim you like that. If we did that right now, there's no guarantee that I could stop myself."

"Well, I don't see what's so bad about it." I replied.

"Kagome, it's a life sentence." he reminded me. "If you cheated on me, I would know. And same for me. You would know. It's a very deep connection. And there's no backing out of it."

"So . . . it's like marriage?" I asked, in a tiny voice. Thinking about it made me nervous.

"Tch. Marriage is nothing compared to mating."

"How come . . . you didn't claim Kikyo?" I asked quietly.

"Because . . . I just didn't want to, I don't guess. I never thought about it with her." Inuyasha answered honestly, after a moment.

"Then what makes me different?" I couldn't keep the hope out of my voice, and it embarrassed me.

"I dunno. Just . . . somethin' about you. I want to claim you, and I know that the next time that we . . . do _that_, nine times out of ten it's bound to happen."

My heart beat a little excitedly at the thought that Inuyasha wanted me for life. "So how come that didn't happen just now?"

He snorted. "Feh! You got lucky, you little runt. I was in my human form. If I hadn't been, you'd be my mate by now."

_As much as I like the sound of being Inuyasha's forever, I don't know if I'm ready for that sort of commitment. We really haven't been together that long. And what if once he claims me, he decides he doesn't want me that way anymore and he's stuck with me? I would hate that . . ._ My mood darkened, and I sighed.

"I know that change in mood isn't anythin' good." Inuyasha commented. "What are ya thinkin' about, Kagome?"

"Well . . . what if you claimed me . . . and later on decided that you didn't want me anymore?" I asked, after a moment.

"Kagome, do you honestly sit there and try to think up ways that things can go wrong?" He demanded, and he looked frustrated. "That's not gonna happen. Even if I didn't _want _to want you like that, I can't help it. I need you with me. Haven't you realized that yet?"

My heart pounded slightly at the thought. That was the most romantic thing he'd said to me yet. "You . . . need me?"  
"_Yes_, Kagome. I need you. How many more times do I gotta tell you before it gets through your head?"

I smiled, and snuggled close into his neck. "That's all I needed to hear."

He scoffed. "Women."

Sango laid on her back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. Inuyasha had gone upstairs to be with Kagome sometime ago, leaving her and Miroku alone. _Speaking of the lecher . . . _

He was sitting on the end of the couch, staring off into space, obviously intent on keeping his word of watching over her. She was surprised, honestly, that he hadn't tried something. Miroku flirted with her constantly, groped her, told her sweet words, but, they weren't dating. Or were they? She was always having to drag him away from other women, so obviously they weren't dating . . . is that what she wanted? Did she want to be with Miroku?

Sango couldn't deny she was attracted to him. Far more than any other man she'd ever met. She glanced at Miroku, and blushed when she saw him staring at her.

"What?" she dared to ask, after a moment.

"Sango . . . I've been thinking." He looked away, but she knew, instinctively, it wasn't because he was cowardly. It was so he could correctly gather his thoughts and be careful with his words.

"About?" she pressed, when he didn't continue.

"About my feelings towards you." he finally replied, in that smooth voice of his that made her heart race.

"And?" Sango slowly sat up, and she couldn't deny that her heart was racing right now.

"I care for you more than any other woman I've ever met." he admitted. "The depth of my feelings for you surprises me, actually."  
Sango felt her heart jerk and clasped a hand to her chest. _I've wanted to hear you say that for so long . . ._ "Go on."

Miroku looked back at her, his deep blue eyes holding hers seriously. "Sango, you are no ordinary woman. Your body is flawless, along with your face. Your beauty constantly astounds me. And, I can look beyond and see the beauty that's within you, as well. I feel as if I can love you completely. I want to, if you'll let me. Sango, will you let me?"

_What am I going to say? Yes, of course! I mean, I want to. I want to be with him. More than any other man I've ever met. Is this what love feels like?_ "Yes, Miroku. If you want me, I'm yours." She scooted over, and he took her hands in his, kissing her fingertips gently. Sango felt she couldn't have stopped smiling if she'd tried. She leaned against Miroku's chest, and knew that he was hers now.

"Ok, we've got to formulate some sort of plan to take care of Naraku." Miroku announced, placing his palms flat on the table. It was Saturday, and all of us were still at Inuyasha's house since we'd all stayed overnight. We were currently in Inuyasha's dining room, trying to find a way to avenge Kikyo's death.

"Tch. Who needs planning? We should just go and get rid of the bastard." Inuyasha scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

I ignored him. "Miroku is right. We need some sort of plan to lure Naraku in. He'll be more careful after nearly losing the other night."

"I think we need . . . bait." Sango suggested, after a moment.

"Bait?" The three of us turned to look at her.

"Yes, a way to lure Naraku in. We need to stage something, that way we can trap him and take him down." Sango explained. "The only thing that I can think that would lure him in . . . is Kagome."

"WHAT!" I thought the house would explode from the amount of rage and incredulity in Inuyasha's voice. "How can you even suggest we use Kagome as bait!"

"You have to admit that Kagome is the only thing that Naraku seems to be interested in right now. There's nothing else we have that can lure him in." Sango argued, crossing her arms over her chest in return to his angry stance.

Inuyasha growled, but subsided, because he knew it was true. "No way. That's too dangerous. We're not putting Kagome out like that."

"It's not really your decision though, Inuyasha." Miroku pointed out, hesitating. When Inuyasha turned his glare on his best friend, Miroku hastened to explain. "It's up to Kagome."

I sighed. "They're right about that. You can't decide for me . . . and . . . I think it's a good idea. I mean, it scares me as much as it does you, Inuyasha. But we have to."

"I'm not _scared_." He snarled. "Just-that's-it's-UGH!" He threw his hands up. "I don't want to lose you Kagome!"

I blushed. It was an intimate moment, him saying such a thing so fiercely and looking at me with those piercing gold eyes, and I sort of wished Miroku and Sango weren't there, because it was a little awkward for them to hear such a thing and experience such a moment that should have been private. "Inuyasha, you won't." I said softly. "I'm not going to die or something. Naraku wants me; he's not going to kill me. I need to do this. I need to do this for Kikyo."

"We can do this for Kikyo without putting you in danger." he argued. "This is insane."

"Three votes is more than one." Sango said quietly. "Kagome won't be in danger, because the three of us will be nearby watching."  
"What if Naraku catches our scent?" I asked.

"He's not a dog youkai. He's a spider youkai." Miroku explained. "He doesn't use or track scents, so that's not a problem. We need to decide how we're going to do this . . ." With that, we began forming a plan, and the entire time, Inuyasha listened in, and he even agreed to it, but he was furious and I knew I was going to hear about it later.

Miroku, Sango, Inuyasha and I were walking along the grass together to go to lunch, and I was holding hands with Inuyasha proudly. I was also happy to see Miroku and Sango holding hands. Apparently they were official now, and I was definitely going to pester Sango about it later for details.

"So Sango, I'm guessing you and Miroku are official now?" I asked her, a bit teasingly, as we walked. She blushed at the question, but smiled secretly.

"Yes, we are." she replied, rather proudly. I could practically hear the cries of horror from other girls around us at hearing Miroku was off the market (I had had to deal with it when Inuyasha and I had gotten together as well).

"Well, you two are so wonderful together." I cooed. "I'm jealous."

Miroku sidled up to my side and cast me a sideways, flirtatious look. "Why Kagome, don't be that way. There's more than enough of me to go around." He wrapped his free arm around my shoulders.

Inuyasha, obviously not able to take a joke, yanked me away and growled, "Keep your hands off her, you damn lecher!"

I felt a rush of aggravation. His jealously and protection was overbearing sometimes. "Inuyasha, stop being ridiculous! Miroku is only joking."

"Oh yeah? This isn't the first time he's acted like this around you, and it can only be joking so many times before it's not anymore!" He retorted. "And besides, I've seen the way you look at him."

"What?" I demanded, incredulous. "You're being stupid, Inuyasha! How can you even think such a thing?" we were getting louder, and starting to attract attention. Sango and Miroku were just looking at us with wary expressions, obviously ready to bolt at any given moment.

"If I wasn't around you'd already be with Miroku or some other guy! You just can't help yourself, teasing all the guys around you with the way you look at them and the way you treat them!" Inuyasha and I were nose to nose by this point, and I could feel my temper boiling.

"Inuyasha, you're such a jerk!" I screamed in his face.

"What, am I hurting your feelings?" he taunted. "Tch, I'm not surprised. You cry at the drop of the hat!"

I felt the very tears he spoke of beginning to sting my eyes. I stamped my foot, not caring how childish it looked. Everyone was stopping to stare, at this point, but I paid them no regard. I was going to teach this half demon a lesson. I'd had enough.

"I'm sick of the way you treat me! I'm sick of being called stupid! I'm sick of being talked down to, and I'm sick of being your BITCH! I hate you!"

"Just what are you tryin' to say!" he snarled, fangs flashing.

"WE'RE THROUGH!" I screamed. I turned on my heel, storming away from him. Anywhere to get away from here. Anywhere at all.

"Where do you think you're goin', Kagome? I'm not through with you!" He shouted after me, and reached for my arm. I whirled around to face him.

"SIT BOY!" He let out a yelp and his face slammed into the ground, but I wasn't done there. "SIT BOY, SIT BOY, SIT BOY! SIT BOY SIT BOY SIT BOY! SIT BOY SIT BOY SIT BOY!" I crouched down, my fists shaking with anger, as his face repeatedly slammed into the ground, dirt flying everywhere. "SIT SIT SIT SIT SIT! _SIT BOY_!"

"STOP!" Inuyasha managed to bellow weakly from his deep hole in the ground. I was out of breath from screaming, and after taking a deep breath to steady myself, I straightened up, and stalked away. Onlookers were watching me go with looks of fear on their faces, probably wondering if I was able to do the same to them, should they provoke me.

I glimpsed Naraku off to the side, watching with a little smirk on his face, and I looked swiftly away from him, glaring at the ground. "I'll be in the graveyard later if you want to come after me, Inuyasha!" I called to him without looking back.

"HAH! As if I'd come after you!" he snipped back, obviously off the ground by now.

I made sure to stomp loudly as I went down the sidewalk, and I passed by a large cherry tree, and when I saw Sesshomaru, I faltered in my steps for a brief moment before I resumed stomping.

"Stunning performance." he murmured, as I passed. "That's sure to have Naraku's attention. Not bad for a human."

I glanced at the tree over my shoulder at those words, but he was already gone. _If Sesshomaru saw right through that . . . I really hope that doesn't mean that Naraku did too. I hope this works._ I thought, before I continued on my way to my dorm.

When I entered my dorm, I closed the door and locked it, sighing to myself as I leaned against it. _Even if all of that was acting, it was still hurtful . . . Especially to Inuyasha. All of that sitting can't have felt good. _

"You took long enough gettin' back here." Inuyasha appeared in my kitchen archway, using a wet rag to wash dirt from his face.

I jumped a little, before I snapped, "You scared me! Don't do that! How did you get in here anyway? My dorm is locked."

"You have a spare key under the mat." Inuyasha dangled said key in front of my face, and I snatched it from him before stuffing it in my pocket.

"Yeah, well, as to how you know about that, I'm not going to ask. How's your face?" I asked worriedly, taking the rag from him and gently patting his cheek and rubbing at a spot of dirt.

"It's fine. I heal a lot faster than you weak humans." He reminded me. "It only hurt while it was happening, really. I'm fine now."

"Sorry about it. I got a little carried away when we got into it." I apologized, continuing to clean his face.

"I noticed." He muttered. "So . . . take back what you said."

"Huh? Said about what?" I asked, confused.

"You said you hated me!"

"Inuyasha . . ." I felt a rush of guilt. "I was acting."  
"Still! Do you have any idea how much that hurt, even acting?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize it would still hurt like that." I said softly, and set the rag down.

"Well, what would ya think?" He grumbled, but I ignored him.

"I've got a few hours before I have to go to the graveyard, and then it's the showdown with Naraku." I said, as if Inuyasha wasn't aware of the plan. I guess it was to alleviate my own nervousness, by saying it out loud. "So . . . you should make the best of the time you have with me."

"Why does everyone have to keep sayin' it like that, like somethin's gonna happen to you?" Inuyasha came up to me as I turned around, and gripped my hips from behind. "I don't wanna think like that."

"You have to think of all the possibilities." I said softly. "But I'm positive. I'll be ok. You guys will be right near me. If anything happens, you'll come save me if need be."

His fingers tightened on my hips, and he leaned down, kissing my shoulder. "Nothin' is goin' to happen . . . nothin's goin' to happen to you."

"You say it like you're trying to convince yourself." I pointed out, my breathing growing faster as his hands slid down from my hips and caressed my thighs.

"I hate this." his voice was a rough growl against the back of my neck, as he brushed my hair aside and kissed my skin. "I hate that you have to do this."

"You already agreed to it." I reminded him.

"I know that." he heaved a rough sigh, and his claws slid underneath my shirt, brushing my hips. I shivered at the feeling. "Kagome . . . it's scares me."

I was shocked he was being so honest. I leaned back against him. "Don't be scared."

"That doesn't help me."

"Inuyasha . . ." I hesitated, choosing my next words carefully, and knowing what I was about to say would change everything. "Claim me."

I heard his sound of surprise, and his fingers faltered in their movements. "Kagome . . . you don't know what you're asking."

"I do know. I know I don't want anyone else but you. I'm all right with being bound to you." I said softly.

Inuyasha's chest rumbled a little, and he pulled me tighter against him. I could feel his want for me, pressing clearly into my backside, and I blushed at the feeling. "Please?" I whispered.

************ (**Another one readers, until the end of the chapter**)

He suddenly yanked me around and attacked my mouth furiously, and I gasped when his fangs nipped at my lower lip. I wrapped my arms around his neck, clasping my hands in his hair and not letting him pull his head back. _Please . . . claim me. Take me for your own, Inuyasha. _I thought desperately.

Inuyasha started moving backwards, pulling me with him, without detaching his lips from mine. His hands were all over me, and I was sighing and gasping, and I could sense the urgency in his kiss, the urgency in his hands, in everything. He was scared. And I was scared. The thought of being bait out there for Naraku, leaving myself completely vulnerable, was terrifying. I wanted to live this moment as if it would be my last one. I wanted to make it count.

Once we were in my bedroom, I struggled with his clothes, trying to get them off quickly. I wanted for him to claim me already. I wanted to belong to him. I wanted it to be officlal. In a matter of minutes we were both undressed, and we hadn't even made it to the bed yet.

Inuyasha wasn't bothering with foreplay, and neither was I. There wasn't time for that. Inuyasha pushed me back from his lips, and I made a sound of protest. He held my eyes, and his voice was low, rough with desire, as he commanded, "Get on the bed. On your hands and knees."

My heart skipped a beat, and my throat went dry, pure lust running through me at his commands. He had never looked so sexy, and him ordering me like that made him even more irresistible. "B-but Inuyasha . . . won't that hurt?"

"It's a requirement for claiming you. Dogs mate from behind, and I have to mark the back of your neck. Don't give me crap, Kagome." Inuyasha turned me around by my shoulders and pushed me towards the bed. "Get on your hands and knees." he whispered in my ear, and I shivered with desire.

I was embarrassed, feeling humiliated as I did as he asked, and as he climbed onto the bed after me, my heart was pounding. I felt his arms slide around my waist, and I gasped when he suddenly penetrated me from behind. He held me close against him, and his breathing was hard, harsh, on my neck, and mine was as well.

"Move, Inuyasha." I begged, because I was aching. I needed him to move, to touch me, something. I had to have something.

He forced a cry from my mouth when he suddenly thrust hard into me, and my fingers tangled in the sheets as he kept that hard, rough pace, his claws scraping my skin and sending tingles in their wake. I was so sensitive to his touch, his kiss, all of him.

I was making sounds that would have embarrassed me, normally, as he took me, but I couldn't be, when I was so caught up in passion. Inuyasha growled in my ear, and whispered harshly, "Tell me that you're mine."

"I'm . . . I . . . I can't." My breathing was wild, and I was gasping. I could barely think, let alone form words.

Inuyasha suddenly thrust hard, and I gasped. He grabbed a fistful of my hair, and pulled my head back, so he could hold my eyes. "Say it, Kagome. Now."

"I'm yours!"

I cried out in pain and pleasure as he pushed my hair aside and he suddenly bit down into my neck. I knew he drew blood. I came with the force of passion, both from the pleasure and the pain mixed together, and Inuyasha came a moment later with a soft gasp, and I collapsed onto the bed, my arms shaking with the effort of holding myself up.

I felt Inuyasha's tongue licking at the wound in my neck, and I sighed. It ached a bit, but the pain was gone, for the most part. I felt warm all over, and very tingly and strange. I could hear a heartbeat other than my own, and I realized, after a moment, it was Inuyasha's.

_She's completely mine now. No one else can have her. And no one else can have me._ I could hear his thoughts again, and I could feel overwhelming passion and affection, and I knew it was not just my own emotions. I was feeling what Inuyasha was feeling as well. I felt his love for me-

My eyes widened. _Inuyasha . . . loves me? I've been aware that I'm in love with him for a while, but . . . he loves me? That's . . . all I really ever wanted._ I smiled a little, happy tears brimming my eyes.

Inuyasha didn't say anything, but he didn't need to. He simply held me, occasionally kissing my neck, or tracing his claws down my back. We laid there together, breathing softly, basking in one another.

_Kikyo . . . if you can hear me . . . if you're there . . . Tonight, during the showdown with Naraku . . . lend me your strength. Because tonight, it's either him, or us._ I thought.

_For one side or the other . . . there's no walking away . . ._

**So next chapter, the final showdown with Naraku . . . does anyone have any guesses as to what's going to happen? **

**Also, be gentle on your comments with the sex scenes. I'm not that great at writing them, but . . . they fit in with the story, and the characters couldn't help themselves, so they're there! So if they totally sucked . . . Oh well. I did try.**

**So, thoughts on this chapter? **


	10. Chapter 10

**All right guys, bad news. Unfortunately, this is the last chapter before the very short epilogue. :( So... hopefully, this chapter will satisfy you. I know the story seems so short now, but . . . I think it's come a long way and everyone's enjoyed so far. So, here is the last chapter (well, last main chapter besides the epilogue).**

Chapter ten

_ "__If __only __I __had __listened__, __perhaps __things __wouldn__'__t __have __happened __the __way __they __did__. __I __didn__'__t __want __to __change __my __choices__, __though__. __I __was __happy __being __Inuyasha__'__s __mate__. __I __was __happy __that __I __could __do __what __I __felt __was __right__. __That __was __all __that __mattered__. __Following __my __heart __was __the __most __important__."_

_Kagome __Higurashi_

I stood in front of Kikyo's grave, a bouquet of white lilies in my hand, like before. Memories rushed back to me, of the night of the winter solstice. I laid the flowers down, in front of her grave, sadness rushing through me.

"So is tonight the night, Kagome?"

I recognized the voice without having to turn around. "Yes. The night that we avenge you, Kikyo." I turned to face her, and she wore the same white and red assemble from before. She looked so frail in the moonlight, and so sad.

"I watched, the other night, what happened with Naraku. And he did not lie, when he said he did not murder me." Kikyo said quietly, taking a step toward me.

I was surprised. "What do you mean?"

"Naraku sidestepped the question. He didn't murder me himself, but . . . commanded Leonard to do so. Leonard was the one who threw me from the window. Naraku did not want his hands sullied with the death of the woman he loved. And he couldn't do it, himself. He couldn't kill me. He wanted me, but lost me to Inuyasha." Kikyo's voice was soft, and her brown eyes were trained to the grass swaying in the breeze. "And if he could not have me, he didn't want Inuyasha to have me either. He wanted to rid himself of his feelings for me. And also, he wanted to end me before Inuyasha could think of claiming me.

"Naraku benefited, either way, but he also lost." she went on. "He got rid of his feelings, but he lost me, in the process, and any chance he might have ever had. Naraku did not think that I could possibly figure out how it happened, but it wasn't hard to gather. He sent Leonard after you many times, so I was able to put it together. I remember now, seeing blond hair . . . Blond hair on the man who threw me."

"Kikyo . . . I'm sorry." I said softly.

"There's no need for you to apologize, Kagome. You cannot change the things of this world that are meant to be." Kikyo looked up, and met my eyes. "Just like, I cannot change the fact that you and Inuyasha are meant to be together."

I felt my heart jerk painfully at that. So she knew. "Kikyo . . ."

"Please, Kagome." Kikyo held up a hand. "I cannot deny the pain within me at the thought. However . . . you are something to Inuyasha that I never was. He is a half demon, and I was not an ordinary woman. There was not a world that existed where we could have ever been together peacefully."

"Then what makes me different? I'm human." I protested.

"Because you, Kagome, accept him for who he is. And you did not ever wish that he was human. Not once. I wasn't that way. I could not accept him completely." Kikyo looked away, and there was shame and pain in her gaze. "I wish . . . I could ask for his forgiveness."

"He doesn't hold it against you, Kikyo. He still loves you." I whispered, heart broken, half reaching out toward her, as if to comfort her.

She smiled as her eyes closed, and tears slipped down her perfect face. "And I him. I will always love Inuyasha, as long as my soul exists. Kagome." she opened her eyes, and looked at me. "Take care of Inuyasha. You are his mate now. I can sense that. I didn't realize it, the first time we met, how you felt about Inuyasha, but now, it is clear. It took time for me to accept it . . . to accept that you and Inuyash are destined to be . . . but, with no regrets, I will give you my blessing."

I moved toward her, and reached out. She reached toward me, in return, and her palm touched mine. I could feel her hand, cold against my own, and I could feel the spiritual energy. "I can't do anything for you. I can't save you. I can't do anything to help you . . . other than this. Other than saving your soul. That's all I can do. If I could give you my own life . . . I would."

"That is all I ask, Kagome. Avenge me, so that I may rest." she closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, they were filled with hatred and pain. "Naraku approaches. It is time, Kagome. Have courage." she vanished.

I turned back to Kikyo's grave, my hand clasped to my chest. I took a deep breath, hearing the soft whisper of grass as someone came toward me. _It__'__s __time__. __It__'__s __time __to __end __this__. __Once __and __for __all__._

"I'm sorry to hear about you and Inuyasha." Naraku said in the smooth tone of his, which meant that he was already up to something.

"Yeah, well, I'm not. Good riddance." I said snootily.

Naraku chuckled. "I wish Kikyo had been as wise as you, Kagome." Naraku moved to my side. "You're better off without that half demon. Also . . . I wish that she had been as clever as you, trying to trick me as you are."

My eyes widened, and as soon as the words left his mouth, he seized my wrist, and brought my face close to his. "You wretched little wrench. You think you can outsmart me? Your performance was quite admirable, but unfortunately for you, I'm not a half wit." his voice was cold and his smirk was smug. I struggled, but he was too strong for me to break his hold.

"Let me go!" I tried to kick him, but he evaded me easily.

Naraku laughed, and the sound sent cold chills all down my body. "Foolish girl. I will take care of you, as I took care of Kikyo. I don't love you. So it will not be a problem for me to kill you with my bare hands. I will end you now."

I gasped, and looked over my shoulder as I heard shouts, seeing Miroku, Sango, and Inuyasha racing towards us. "Inuyasha!" I screamed, reaching out towards him.

Naraku's hand gripped my neck, cutting off my air circulation, and he lifted me off the ground. "It's such a waste, to kill you like this. But you will plague me no more." His eyes narrowed. "_Die_." A purple mist began to issue from his mouth, and soon, it swirled around us, entering my lungs and choking me. My vision began to swirl and spin, and I coughed, feeling my body growing weaker and weaker, numbness spreading from my head to my fingertips.

"He's poisoning her! Inuyasha, move, quickly, or she'll die!" I heard Miroku shouting.

"_Kagome_!" Inuyasha's desperate scream for me, as he reached out for me. He was only feet away, and my vision was growing darker.

"You will not interfere. Leonard, restrain them!" Naraku ordered, and I heard it only vaguely. I saw a flash of blond hair, and then Leonard was there, fighting Inuyasha and the others back, away from me, so they couldn't save me.

I looked beyond Naraku, and I saw Kikyo standing there, behind us all, watching me, sadness in her eyes. She could not save me. She reached a hand out toward me, and I reached toward her, but I knew it was hopeless. My hand fell to my side, limp, and I looked at Inuyasha one last time. He held my eyes, and his were full of fear as he realized what was happening. I would never forget that look.

"Inuyasha . . ." My voice was faint, and I knew that I was dying. "I love you . . ." My eyes closed, and I knew no more.

**Sango****'****s****P****.****O****.****V****. **

Miroku, Inuyasha and I watched in horror as Kagome's form went limp, and she slumped in Naraku's grip, her eyes closing, her body unmoving. The purple miasma surrounding her and Naraku was beginning to spread towards us, and I knew that if we didn't move, it would poison us, and kill us, as it had Kagome.

Tears stung my eyes at the thought. _No__, __I __can__'__t __think __about __that __right __now__, __or __we__'__ll __all __die__. __We __have __to __fight __Naraku__. __We __have __to __win__. __There__'__s __no __time __for __pain __right __now__._ I dodged out of the way as Leonard swiped at me with his claws. Miroku moved in front of me, and lashed out at Leonard with a staff he'd borrowed from Inuyasha to fight with. Leonard hissed as the sharp point of the staff bit into his hand, and I watched in amazement as his flesh began to smoke. It was a holy staff, so it only made sense.

Inuyasha leapt toward Leonard with a roar, and his claws slashed into flesh. I had never before seen Inuyasha so enraged. I knew the pain of Kagome's death was what was causing him to act like this. His golden eyes knew no rationality, his heart no mercy. He was backing Leonard up steadily, and Naraku was watching from the sidelines, that damned smirk upon his face.

"You bastard!" I shouted, and I snatched up the thin blade Inuyasha had lent to me. I didn't know how to wield it well, because Inuyasha had only shown me a few ways to defend myself. I would take Naraku out myself if it was possible. I raced towards Naraku, blade held high, and he laughed, waiting for my arrival.

"Stay back, filthy human. He's mine." I gasped and stopped as Sesshomaru appeared, and when I saw the green toxins dripping from his claws, I did not question him. Sesshomaru dove towards Naraku, and I turned my attentions back to Leonard and my friends.

Miroku was barely fending Leonard off with his staff, and Inuyasha was coming after Naraku now. I rushed to help Miroku, and raised my sword, slashing into Leonard's back from behind. He roared in pain, and whipped around, his hand making hard contact with my cheek. I cried out and flew to the ground, and the minute he focused his attention on me, Miroku thrust the staff through his back, into his heart.

Leonard made a terrible noise, snarling and thrashing about as his body began to disintegrate, and I watched in horror as only a pile of ash gathered at my feet, where Leonard once stood.

Miroku ran over to me, crouching down beside me, his staff covered in blood, as my sword was. "Sango, are you all right?" he helped me sit up.

"I'm fine. Thanks for saving me." we held each other's eyes for a moment, and I knew without words what he was thinking about. He was thinking of Kagome, our friend, as I was. I shook my head. We had no time. Both of us focused our attention to Inuyasha.

"Stay back, little brother!" Sesshomaru shouted to Inuyasha, as the both of them exchanged blows with Naraku.

Naraku's body had changed into something horrifying, and Kagome's body laid only a few feet away from him, in the grass. His clothes had torn from his body, and instead of legs, the bottom of his body consisted of green, purple, and brown tentacles and a disgusting, pulsing mass, purple miasma covering the ground and seeping along the grass. His arms had lengthened and his hands had turned into talons, the claws razor sharp. He was laughing, the sound cruel and unforgivable, as brothers Sesshomaru and Inuyasha came at him with their own weapons.

Inuyasha wielded the Tetsusaiga, the legendary blade my grandfather had often told me stories about. Inuyasha had mentioned briefly bringing it, and upon seeing the huge sword made of a fang, I knew it possessed great power.

Sesshomaru's own blade was thin but no less powerful. He used it to sever one of Naraku's tentacles, but Naraku only laughed, as if it did not harm him at all. I gasped when I saw the decapitated mass creeping back along the ground, only to reform with Naraku's body.

"He's regenerating!" I shouted to the dog demon brothers, hoping this would help them. I grabbed my own blade and stood up. Miroku joined me, and the two of us rushed to help the two brothers.

"Fools, all of you, to think you can defeat me! My power is limitless!" Naraku dodged a blow from Tetsusaiga, and his talons lashed out, and I cried out as he slashed into Miroku's arm, knocking him aside effortlessly. I ran to Miroku's side, and he was gripping his arm, gritting his teeth in pain. Blood ran between his fingers. _No__! __I __can__'__t __lose __someone __else__!_ I thought desperately, ripping the hem of my jeans and quickly tying it around Miroku's arm to stop the blood flow.

"Out of my way, Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha bellowed, and leapt into the air, bringing his sword down in a slash toward Naraku. Naraku crossed his arms in front of him, and Inuyasha clashed hard, unable to cut through Naraku's arms. Naraku grunted and threw him back, and Inuyasha slammed into a gravestone. "Inuyasha!" I called, worried. He was on his feet within a matter of seconds, and I knew nothing could stop him.

"Weakling!" Sesshomaru spat, as he severed another one of Naraku's tentacles. He growled as Naraku swept him out of the way with his talons, and I grabbed Miroku's shoulders, dragging him out of danger's way. There was nothing I could really do now.

Naraku turned once Sesshomaru was knocked down, as Inuyasha was running at him from behind. "I'll kill you, Naraku!" Inuyasha snarled, raising his sword over his head and charging ahead.

Naraku smiled, and it was pure ice. "Come at me, Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha jumped up, repeating the same move from before, and Naraku was prepared. He used one tentacle to bash Inuyasha to the side, and another to wrench the Tetsusaiga from his grip, and fling it in the opposite direction. The Tetsusaiga flew through the air, spinning, before it stuck in the ground, quite a few feet away from Inuyasha. Inuyasha hit the ground hard, and laid there for a moment, before weakly sitting up.

"And now, Inuyasha, just like your mate, you will die." Naraku dove toward Inuyasha, and in that moment, time seemed to stop.

Inuyasha's body tensed, and I watched, transfixed, along with the others, as his head bowed, and his face was hidden from view. A low growl began to build up in his chest, and rose in volume and threat, as Naraku neared him. He lifted his hand, and my eyes widened at the sight of his claws lengthening.

"What's . . . what's happening?" I whispered, fear rushing through my system. Something was off about Inuyasha.

Naraku stopped in his descent, and even he knew something was wrong. Sesshomaru was sitting up by now, and his eyes were narrowed. "Inuyasha's scent has changed . . . into the scent of a full demon." he said quietly.

"His demon blood . . . it's taking over!" Miroku realized.

Inuyasha lifted his head, and his eyes were blood red, his pupils blue. Purple marks lined his face, and his fangs had lengthened. He stood up slowly, and I knew he was fully demon. He recognized neither friend nor foe, and would kill.

"So you are full demon now?" Naraku's voice was contemptuous. "You are still too weak to defeat me, Inuyasha. I will kill you now!" He dove toward Inuyasha once more.

Inuyasha threw his head back and howled, and the sound sent chills of fear down my spine. He leapt into the air to meet Naraku, and all of us watched horror as his claws ripped effortlessly through Naraku's body. I only vaguely heard Naraku's screams of pain and anger as chunks of his body flew everywhere. Inuyasha was laughing, and the sound was horrible and terrifying.

Inuyasha landed nimbly on his feet, and his fangs dripped with red blood, and it dripped all down his arm. Naraku lay on the grass in a bloody heap, his face frozen in an expression of disbelief, in his death.

Inuyasha began to laugh again, as he turned to face us. "Little humans come out to play?" his voice was filled with pure malice, and he flashed his claws at us, blood spraying all along the ground. He began to advance slowly toward us.

"Inuyasha, no! It's us, your friends!" I cried.

"Foolish girl, he does not recognize you." Sesshomaru said coldly from behind me. "He recognizes no one in this state. He will kill until he is killed. He knows neither pain nor fear in this form. Neither of you are to live much longer if he does not revert back."

"How do we change him back?" Miroku demanded.

"The Tetsusaiga. He must grasp it. I shall stay back and see how this plays out." Sesshomaru backed away.

"You won't stay and help your brother?" I demanded.

"He is of no concern to me." Sesshomaru replied simply. "You are running out of time."

I looked back to Inuyasha, who was getting closer, still looking at us with those bloodthirsty red eyes. "Inuyasha, snap out of it!" I tried again. "Don't do this! You avenged Kikyo and Kagome! you can't do this!"

"Inuyasha, listen! You must grasp the Tetsusaiga!" Miroku joined my pleas. "Remember us!"

"It is useless." Sesshomaru scoffed, turning away from us.

_This __is __the __end__. __He__'__ll __kill __us __both__._ I thought.

**Kagome's P.O.V.**

_Where__ . . . __where __am __I__? __It__'__s__ . . . __it__'__s __so __warm__. __Everything __is __so __warm__ . . . _

_ "__Kagome__ . . ."_

_A __voice__. __There__'__s __a __voice__. __Calling__ . . . __someone__. __Someone __called__ '__Kagome__'._

_ "__Kagome__ . . ."_

_Am __I__ '__Kagome__'? __Is __that __who __I __am__? __It__'__s __warm__ . . . __all __around __me__. __I__ . . . __feel __like __I__'__m __floating__._

_ "__Kagome__, __come __back__."  
_

_Come __back__? __I __must __be__ '__Kagome__'. __I __am __Kagome__. __I __remember __now__. __That__'__s __who __I __am__ . . . __And __I__ . . . __I __have __friends__. __They __make __me __feel __this __warm__. __Sango__, __Miroku__ . . . __Myoga__ . . . __even __Sesshomaru__. __And__ . . . __there__'__s __someone __else__. __Someone __important__. __I __can__'__t __forget __them__._

_ "__Kagome__, __you __must __open __your __eyes__!"  
__Inuyasha__. __My __eyes __opened__. __Inuyasha__, __that__'__s __who __I__'__m __forgetting__. __I __can__'__t __forget __him__. __I __love __him__. __He__'__s__ . . . __my __world__. __Everything__. __I __can__'__t __exist __in __a __world __where __he __doesn__'__t __also __exist__. __He__'__s __all __I __have__. __And __Sango__, __my __sister__. __Miroku__, __my __brother__ . . ._

_ "__Kagome__, __come __back__! __Kagome__!"_

_I __turned __my __head__. __Everything __was __white __and __golden__. __There __was __a __woman__, __and __she __was __beautiful__. __She __was __beautiful__, __and __so __very __sad__. __Kikyo__. __It __was __Kikyo__. _

_ "__Kikyo__ . . . __you__'__re __here__." __I __was __laying __down__. __I __sat __up__, __feeling __the __warmth __spread __through __me__. "__Where __am __I__?"_

_ "__You __are __in __the __place __between __the __spirit __world __and __the __real __world__." __She __answered __softly__. "__You__ . . . __died __in __the __fight __with __Naraku__. __He __has __also __become __responsible __for __your __death__."_

_ "__I__ . . . __died__?" __I __whispered__. __The __thought __hurt__. "__That __means__ . . . __I __can__'__t __see __Inuyasha __anymore__. __Ever __again__. __Sango__, __Miroku__ . . . __no __one __ever __again__. __Grandpa__, __Sota__, __Mom__ . . . __none __of __them__. __I__'__m__ . . . __dead__." _

_Kikyo__'__s __eyes __were __filled __with __kindness__. "__Kagome__, __you __must __listen __to __me__. __There __is __still __time__. __Time __to __change __this__. __Inuyasha __needs __you __now__, __more __than __ever__. __His __demon __blood __has __taken __over__. __He __will __kill __all __of __your __friends__, __even __his __brother__, __if __he __is __not __stopped__. __And __you __are __the __only __one__, __who __can __get __through __to __him__."_

_ "__But __how__?" __I __whispered__, __hopeless__._

_ "__My __soul __has __been __saved__, __Kagome__, __because __of __you__." __Kikyo __crouched __in __front __of __me__, __and __cupped __my __face__. __And __her __hand __was __warm__. "__I __shall __use __the __last __of __my __power __to __revive __you__, __and __send __you __back__. __It __is __not __your __time __to __go__. __You __were __created __for __Inuyasha__. __And __he __was __created __for __you__. __After __I s__end __you __back__, __I __can __no __longer __contact __you__. __My __soul __will __finally __be __at __peace__, __and __I __can __rest__. __This __will __be __goodbye__."_

_My __eyes __filled __with __tears__, __and __they __began __to __spill __over__. "__Kikyo__ . . . __no__, __send __yourself __back__. __Take __what__'__s __left __of __me__. __You __should __live __again__. __You __deserve __it__. __Please__, __Kikyo__ . . ."_

_She __smiled__, __and __it __was __sad__. "__No__, __Kagome__. __Your __kindness __astounds __me__, __still__ . . . __but __that __is __not __how __it __is __meant __to __be__. __My __time __on __this __earth __is __over__. __You __must __go __back__. __I __cannot__."_

_ "__Kikyo__, __please__ . . ." __I __was __begging __her__._

_ "__Take __what __is __left __of __me__, __and __live __for __me__, __Kagome__. __Love __Inuyasha __as __I __did__, __for __the __rest __of __your __time__. __My __soul __will __go __on __loving __him__, __as __long __as __it __exists__. __Go __back __to __your __time__, __Kagome__, __where __you __are __supposed __to __be__. __The __way __you __are __supposed __to __be__ . . ." __She __leaned __forward__, __and __her __warm__, __soft __lips __pressed __to __my __forehead __as __tears __slipped __down __my __face__. __I __felt __heat __rush __through __me__, __and __strength__, __and __I __was __flying__, __flying __back__, __back __to __my __body__._

_ "__Goodbye__ . . ." __was __the __last __thing __uttered __from __Kikyo__'__s __lips__, __and __I __knew __she __was __gone__, __forever__._

My eyes flew open, and I realized I was laying on the ground. It was cold all around me, and I could feel the grass underneath me. "Inuyasha!" I bolted up, and I saw him there, and I saw Kikyo's words were true. His eyes were red, his pupils blue, his claws and fangs lengthened and his claws covered with blood.

"Inuyasha!" I stood up and ran toward him, and he whipped around toward me, snarling. His eyes widened upon glimpsing me, and I knew there was something inside him fighting it, fighting the demon blood, trying to recognize me, trying to go back to normal.

I raced towards him, and threw my arms around his waist. "Inuyasha, I'm alive. I'm alive. Please, come back to me!" I cried, holding onto him for dear life.

"Kagome!" Sango's voice was heartbreaking, and I could tell she was crying. "How is it possible?"

"Inuyasha! Come back to me!" I said desperately, pulling back and looking into his eyes.

He snarled and gripped my shoulders with his claws, and I flinched. "Inuyasha . . ." I leaned up toward him, and pressed my lips against his, holding onto him as if my very life depended on it, which it did.

I gradually felt the change in him, and his claws slackened on me, and his hard grip became an embrace, and he returned my kiss. "Kagome . . ." he breathed on my lips, and I felt something wet hit my lips, and I pulled back, my eyes widening upon seeing the tears slipping down his face.

"Kagome." he pulled me into an embrace, and tears brimmed my eyes as well.

"Inuyasha, I'm ok. So, you have to be ok now too." I whispered.

His arms were shaking around me, and I understood his pain. I had felt that pain of our separation before. I knew what I was losing, what I could lose. And I understood I couldn't lose him. I couldn't live without him.

"Kagome!" Sango raced towards us, and threw her arms around us. Miroku soon joined, and I stayed like that, holding onto all of them, refusing to give up this moment. _I __love __all __of __you__, __and __I __can__'__t __live __without __any __of __you__. __I __need __all __of __you __to __be __complete__._

"How touching." Sesshomaru sounded displeased. "But there is a problem. Naraku isn't dead."

Inuyasha lifted his head, and his tears had stopped by now. "What!"

"You only managed to subdue him for a time. You must finish him off with the wind scar, a task only you can complete. I will leave him to you, little brother." Sesshomaru looked at all of us one more time, and I wondered, briefly, if he longed for a relationship with someone, like the ones I had with Miroku, Sango, and Inuyasha. I wondered if he wished to not be alone, but then he was gone.

"Kagome, you stay back. I won't lose you again." Inuyasha said quietly, pushing me back, as pieces of Naraku's body slithered along the ground and began to reform. I let out a sound of protest, as Inuyasha raced past Naraku's reforming body and grabbed his Tetsusaiga, the blade transforming into it's great form. It was in that moment that I made my decision.

"Sango, Miroku, take cover!" Inuyasha yelled, and the two hastened to do so, while I ran around and then behind Inuyasha.

I wrapped my arms around him from behind. "I'm going to be by your side, Inuyasha!" I declared.

His expression softened for a moment. "Kagome . . ." Then it grew fierce, and he nodded. He turned back to Naraku, and narrowed his eyes. "You should have stayed dead . . ." He growled. "I can see it, the wind and the demonic energy spiraling . . . and in the middle, where they meet, they're crashing . . ."

Inuyasha and I gasped as the Tetsusaiga pulsed, letting off waves of its own energy. "The Tetsusaiga . . . it wants me to cut there, where they meet . . . that will make the windscar!" Inuyasha realized. "All right then, Tetsusaiga!" he bared his sword, and I tensed my body, ready for it.

Naraku's body had reformed by this point, and he was looking upon us with hatred, obviously seeking revenge. "Inuyasha!" He snarled, and raised his talons, coming at us.

Inuyasha raised the Tetsusaiga over his head, and brought it down in a powerful arc, bellowing, "WIND SCAR!"

Bolts of yellow and white energy erupted forth, lancing toward Naraku at lightning speed. I watched in amazement as the bolts of energy struck his body, and began to tear relentlessly through his form. Naraku screamed in agony and despair, and I knew he wouldn't regenerate this time. "No! NO! THIS CAN'T BE!" The ground rumbled, and our hair flew back with the force of the wind scar.

When the commotion was over, nothing was left of Naraku, and the ground was devastated beyond the graveyard, torn up in a mess by the power of the wind scar. Smoke rose up from the ground, and I felt myself relax.

"It's over." I said softly. "It's finally over."

**I ****know****, ****I ****know****, ****cheap ****place ****to ****leave ****off****. ****But****, ****the ****battle ****is ****finally ****over****, ****and ****Naraku ****is ****dead****. ****However ****cheesy ****it ****may ****have ****been****, ****our ****heroes ****are ****triumphant****!  
****So****, ****how ****many ****of ****you ****were ****pissed ****when ****Kagome ****died****? ****How ****many ****of ****you ****had ****a ****hunch ****that ****she ****would ****come ****back****? ****You ****can****'****t ****seriously ****think ****I****'****d ****end ****a ****story ****where ****true ****love ****doesn****'****t ****triumph****! ****Oh ****no ****no ****no****, ****we ****can****'****t ****have ****that ****here****.**

**So****, ****tell ****me ****your ****thoughts ****on ****this ****chapter****!**

**Next ****chapter****, ****the ****epilogue****.**


	11. Epilogue

Epilogue

_ "__Kagome __taught __me __the __meaning __of __life__. __She __taught __me __how __to __laugh__, __how __to __cry__, __and __how __to __enjoy __and __cherish __things__. __She __was __born __for __me__, __and __I __was __born __for __her__. __I __can__'__t __live __without __her __now__. __I __will __never __see __how __I __did__."_

_Inuyasha_

I was gazing peacefully out into the distance, on the hilltop, under the cherry blossom tree, where I had last parted with Kikyo. She was gone forever, now. Kagome had explained Kikyo's sacrifice to me quite clearly. I knew that meant I could never see her again.

But that was fine. I would miss her. And not a day would go by that I wouldn't think about her. But it was the way things were meant to be. _I __can __certainly __say __I__'__ve __gained __a __bit __of __wisdom __through __all __of __this__. __I __know __how __to __appreciate __things __better __than __I __did __before__._ I thought.

I heard the soft crunch of footsteps behind me, and took a deep breath, calming my nerves. "What do you want, Sesshomaru?"

"I suppose I came to ask you one question, little brother, if you can spare the time." my brother replied quietly.

"What is it?"

"That human girl . . . Kagome . . . I thought that nothing could stop you but the Tetsusaiga, when your demon blood took over." Sesshomaru's voice was thoughtful. "But that human girl. She snapped you out of it. I suppose I don't quite grasp how that works."

"Then I suppose you don't understand the depth of my feelings for Kagome." I replied simply. "Kagome taught me the meaning of life. She taught me how to laugh, how to cry, and how to enjoy and cherish things. She was born for me, and I was born for her. I can't live without her now. I'll never see how I did."

"Hmph." Sesshomaru didn't sound contemptuous, despite his sound. He turned, as if to leave. "I suppose there are some things I will never understand, when it comes to you." he began to walk away, before he paused. "Take care of yourself, little brother." he smiled a little, before he walked away.

I watched him go in the sunset, and wasn't surprised when a few moments later, Miroku, Sango, and Kagome appeared. I felt my heart warm a little at the sight of them, and was surprised to realize how close they all were to me. Kagome really had taught me the meaning of friendship and love. I looked at her with this love in my eyes, and she smiled at me. I knew I didn't have to explain myself to her. She was my mate, and she could feel what I felt. She knew, and I knew her.

"Only yesterday we destroyed Naraku, but it already seems like a year." Sango commented, as the three joined me on the top of the hill, looking out onto the valley.

"Perhaps that's because we can finally all be at complete ease now." Miroku replied. "Isn't that right, Inuyasha?" I looked at him, and he was smiling at me. I didn't smile back, but I understood what he was saying.

I felt a warm hand slip around mine, and I glanced down, knowing it was Kagome before I looked. Her soft brown eyes were warm with love, and I did smile gently at her. "You're thinking of Kikyo, aren't you?" she asked softly.

"I was." I didn't bother to lie. She was mate now. She could see right through it if I tried. "But . . . I was coming to acceptance, more than anythin' else."

"I know." Kagome looked out to the valley. "I understand. I miss her too." she said softly.

"So now that we can all breathe again, where shall we go?" Miroku asked cheerfully. "There's bound to be evildoers about that we can slay."

Sango punched him lightly in the arm. "We're already lucky Sesshomaru is going to cover all of this up for us. We don't want to push it."

"Yes, well, Sesshomaru seems like a reasonable fellow. I don't see why he and I couldn't put together a business and make quite the profit off slaying evil demons-ow!" Miroku winced as Sango grabbed his ear and dragged him away, saying, "Ugh, you're so ridiculous. We're going to get going. See you, Inuyasha, Kagome!"  
Kagome waved to them, before she turned back to me. "So what else were you thinking about?"

I looked away from her. My heart was pained when I said, "I was thinking about . . . how I was wrong. How we were all wrong. We thought you would be ok. But . . . we were wrong. We underestimated Naraku, and it cost your life. It was only because of Kikyo that you're still alive. I could have lost you. And if something like this happens again, we won't have a second chance like that again."

Kagome looked up at the sunset. "I understand what you mean. But . . . Inuyasha. It was fate, and if I die, then we shouldn't mess with the way that things happen. We should leave them to be."

"Are you saying that Kikyo shouldn't have brought you back?" I demanded, angered at the very thought.

"Maybe." Kagome admitted. "But she didn't. I believe in destiny, Inuyasha. And I believe I met you for a reason." she looked into my eyes, and she was so beautiful it was painful. "And I believe I met Kikyo for a reason. So perhaps it wasn't time for my death. Maybe dying was to make me realize what I was losing."

"Don't talk like that." I looked away, unable to look at her any longer and think of losing her.

Kagome smiled. "Inuyasha, you don't have to worry about losing me anymore. I'm here, and I'm here to stay." She cupped my cheek, and turned my face toward hers.

"I know." I said softly. I leaned down, and gently kissed her warm, soft lips.

"Kagome . . ." I whispered, when I pulled back, "I love you . . ."

"Inu . . . Inuyasha . . ." her eyes began to water, and she laid her head against my chest.

"Are you crying? You big baby." I said, but with no harsh tone.

"I'm not a baby! It's just-just-" she pulled back, glaring up at me. "You never say things like that! It caught me by surprise."

I snorted. "Tch, well, don't get used to it. I'm not gonna be sayin' a lot of that mushy stuff." I announced, putting my hands on my hips and turning away from her.

"Hah! You, mushy? As if! You're just like a big ogre anyway!" she harrumphed, turning her back to me and crossing her arms over her chest.

"What did you say?" I demanded, whirling to face her.

"That you're just a big ogre!" She started to laugh at my dubious, indignant expression.

"You little- ARGH!" I ran towards her and she took off with a scream, down the hill. "GET BACK HERE!"

_The __End_

**All right. Looks like this epic, or not so epic tale, has finally come to an end. I realize that there is dialogue and certain scenes that have been taken from the anime/manga, but this was to greater capture the personalities of the characters. So if you don't like it, kiss muh butt.**

**For all of you who like me, put me on your author alert! This story is now complete, and I am currently working on another one, and will begin to post it when I finish it. I always finish my stories before I post them, so that nothing like discontinuation happens. **

**I'm glad that everyone seemed to receive the story so well. All right guys. It's been fun. Peace out. **


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